Sweet Sixteen
by swimchick101
Summary: Rose decides to throw a party for her sweet sixteen...and Albus decides to crash it. Rose-Scorpius and Albus-OC...there are 4 OCs! *COMPLETE!*
1. Best Friends Rock and Mothers Know Best

Sweet Sixteen

**Sweet Sixteen**

**Chapter One:**  
_Why Best Friends Rock and Mothers Know Best_

**June 15th 2022**  
_Number 3 Sutter Street_

"Please, please, please?" Her bottom lip jutted out in what her father would normally think to be an adorable gesture. He used to melt at that particular face. Back before she reached puberty and started dressing like a teenager rather than a little girl. Now, it was much easier to say his new favourite two letter word.

"No."

It actually felt good to the father of two. Not that crushing the hopes and dreams of his only daughter felt good. When she was a little girl, a kiss on the cheek and that pout and she would get anything she wanted. It felt good that she didn't have him as wrapped around her finger as she once did. If he allowed that, there was a good chance she'd come home with a piercing in ever orifice and strung out on drugs. Well, maybe that was a bit far fetched. She was generally good, except when her nutty friends were around. Speaking of…

"Please, daddy?" She batted her pretty brown eyes at him and he smiled. He would not give in. That one little question she'd asked had scared him to death and he felt the sudden urge to shield his daughter from the world.

"No, Rose." She harrumphed and sat heavily in the chair opposite him in their small kitchen in their moderately sized suburban home.

Then her mother walked in and he sighed. His wife would (hopefully) agree with him and then it would be settled. And if she didn't…well, he wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Mum!" Rose jumped up and ran to her mother, crossing the kitchen, barefoot, in four steps. "I want to have a boy/girl party for my sixteenth."

Hermione looked contemplative for a moment, and then turned to him, noting his grimace. "And what did your father say?"

"Oh, you know daddy. He said 'no' without even giving it a thought."

"I somehow doubt that. If your father said no, there's undoubtedly a good reason. Ron?"

"Hermione." He nodded to his wife. Then he sighed. "You're not old enough," he told his daughter, standing to defend himself.

"How old is old enough, dad?"

"Old." Hermione glared at him and he rolled his eyes. "I'm not about to be responsible for a bunch of hormone driven teenagers in my house playing spin-the-wand or seven minutes in heaven or strip poker. I know how boys that age think and I know your nutty friends-"

"My friends are not nutty! Well, except for Lola…why she would fancy you, I have no clue." Rose rolled her eyes.

"Loud music, dark corners," he used his fingers to make air quotes, "special punch."

"So what you're really saying is that you don't trust me!" Rose shouted. Hermione steered her towards a chair and then sat down herself.

"I trust you. I don't trust teenage boys with shifty eyes and wandering hands."

"Mum!" Rose turned her eyes on her mother, who looked contemplative for a moment. Then she sighed.

"I'm going to have to agree with your father, Ro-"

"What?" She yelled, shooting out of her chair. She stood with her hands on her hips, her head cocked to the side. There was so much of her mother in her. "I can't believe this! All of my other friends get to invite boys to their parties! I'm going to be sixteen!"

"Remind me not to let you go to any of those parties," Ron mumbled under his breath. Rose glared at him, before turning back to her mother. Suddenly, a noise erupted from the small red head that neither of her parents had ever heard. It was a mix between a screech and a banshee mating call, and then Rose was stomping down the hall to her room.

"This is so unfair! I might as well stay fifteen! Want to shelter me for life? Send me to a friggin' _convent_ then, _dad_!" then she slammed the heavy wooden door to her room, causing the whole house to shake.

"Well, that went well," Hermione muttered, head in her hands. A tall boy with curly brown hair came in through the back door and glanced around the silent kitchen. After a moment, their youngest child spoke.

"Okay. What did I miss?"

Rose paced her bedroom. The lavender throw rug beneath her feet was well worn from her pacing, and had begun to fade in her tracks. She was so angry; she spun around and kicked the post of her bed, stubbing her toe in the process.

"Ow!" she squealed, grabbing her foot and jumping up and down. She lost her balance and fell backwards onto her bed. Her big toe was bleeding. "Poo," she muttered under her breath, standing up quickly to keep from getting blood on her purple comforter.

She hobbled into the connected bathroom, slamming the door that led into Hugo's room shut. Stepping carefully into the bathtub, she sat down on the edge and turned on the cold water. She winced at the sting of cold water entering her open wound, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth to keep from yelling out.

Eventually, the pain began to ebb away, and she made the water hotter. She grabbed the soap and her bright pink loufa and rubbed them together under the flow of water, lathering up. She then pulled her wet foot on to her bare thigh and began washing away the blood.

Her father was only doing what he thought was right, she conceded. Of course, assuming all sixteen year old boys had shifty eyes and wandering hands was a bit far fetched. If he wanted to go there, he was basically saying all of his nephews that had reached puberty, not to mention his own son, were perverts. She giggled at that.

"Besides, it's not like I would be able to invite the one boy I actually want to celebrate my birthday with." She smiled wistfully, rinsing the soap from her foot, and then rinsing out her loufa.

Rose thought of her boyfriend. His silky blonde hair, bright blue-grey eyes, strong jaw and other handsome features. How he held her when they kissed, his arms wrapped around her and his hands resting gently above her bum.

It had been a measly few hours since she'd seen him as the Hogwarts Express had pulled in to Kings Cross Station at Platform nine and three quarters. She'd tasted his lips one last time, secretly, before joining her brother and cousins to meet their parents on the platform. She had caught his eye as his father led him away, and they shared a secret smile.

"Oh, Scorpius," she sighed dreamily. Then, realizing where she was, she stood and shook the excess water from her feet. She padded into her room and threw herself on to her bed.

She wouldn't get her dream boy/girl sweet sixteen party. But that didn't mean she couldn't have one kick ass party with her closest girl friends.  
**  
June 16th 2022**

"Okay, so we will start with the guest list."

It was the following night and Rose and her mum sat in the small kitchen after dinner, a pad of paper in front of Hermione, and a pen poised over the top, ready to write notes and construct lists. Which, Rose smiled, is what mum thrives on. Being in charge. Organization.

"Okay," Rose agreed, "how many people can I invite?"

Ron plopped down in the chair next to Hermione, the expression on his face making it evident that he would rather be anywhere but in that kitchen at that moment.

"Two," Ron said automatically, crunching in to an apple.

"Ron! You just ate!" Hermione cried.

"I'm hungry." The three all rolled their eyes and then Rose looked at her parents.

"Two? Really?" She batted her brown eyes at her mother this time, and she smiled.

"I was thinking more like four," Hermione said, and Ron shrugged.

"I won't even be here, so I don't care."

"Wait, where will you be?" Rose looked to her father, questioningly.

"Keeping Hugo out of your hair," he nodded, banishing the apple core to the bin. Then he leaned back in his chair and rested his hands on his head. Rose smiled at his easy demeanour. That's so dad.

"So, who would you like to invite?" Hermione asked, and Rose straightened up and began listing names, ticking them off on her fingers as she named her four best friends.

"Marinda, Lola, Lora, and Kendal." The response was automatic, and she was glad her mother had said four and not three. She wouldn't have known who to cut out.

"Okay," Hermione scribbled on the pad of paper, "and Lily," she added as an afterthought.

"Wait! What?" Rose screeched. Then she winced. She had been doing that a lot since she'd returned home from school. "Why is Lily coming?" she asked in a quieter voice. "She is barely fourteen!"

"Your mum and I talked with Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry," Ron explained to his daughter's pained face. "We all agreed that while you girls get together for your birthday, we're going to get the boys together for a party of our own. We didn't want Lily to feel out of place."

"Oh please," Rose scoffed. "Aunt Ginny is a self-proclaimed tom boy, what with growing up with seven older brothers and all, not to mention the professional Quidditch career. Lily is exactly like her. It's like five boys living over in that house. Well, two boys that get their lady time once a month and get moody and hormonal, which pretty much describes teenage boys, so the only normal one is Uncle Harry, and, I mean, he's an Auror, Head of the Department, so how normal can he be…what was my point again?"

"You were upset because Lily will be at your party." Hermione raised her eyebrows at her daughter.

"Oh, yeah. Whatever. I'm over it. What's next?"

Ron rolled his eyes to the ceiling, muttering, "Teenagers," while Hermione giggled behind her hand. She tried to turn the giggle into a cough, which only served to make Rose laugh when she actually did start coughing.

"Games? Food? Entertainment?" Hermione swallowed hard, trying to catch her breath while Ron spoke.

"Well, I had this dream," Rose's eyes brightened. "The five of us-well, six now, with Lily-would play games like spin the wand, and seven minutes in heaven, and even though I would have to snog a girl, it would be okay, because they'd be my best friends…well, except for Lily, because that would be gross. She could watch. And keep track of the time."

Ron looked horrified. Hermione looked amused. Rose held off her laughter for as long as she could, her expression dead serious until her father started opening and closing his mouth looking like a fish out of water.

"She's joking, Ron," Hermione insisted, and then turned to Rose. "You were joking, right, Rose?"

"Of course, mum. Nothing wrong with lesbianism, or anything, but I am definitely not one."

Ron stood, shoving his chair backwards. "I think you girls can handle this. I think I will go watch the telly with Hugo."

The girls watched Ron hurry out of the room, and then took a moment to laugh at his expense. "Okay," Hermione cleared her throat. "Back to business. What did you want to do for your magical, wonderful sweet sixteen birthday party?"

"Well," Rose sat up straight, tucking her long hair behind her ears. "I was thinking we could have everyone come over around seven or whenever. Order pizza. Watch movies. I don't know, whatever we want. General girl mischief. Braid hair. Gossip. Then, maybe, in the morning we could go over to Grandmum Weasley's and have lunch and play in the lake. Do you think Grandmum would be okay with that?"

"I think," Hermione put down her pen and took her daughter's hand. "That your Grandmum would love that."

"I know, right? Especially since she's always complaining that we never visit enough. And I figure the girls can just floo home from there. Except for Marinda."

"Ah, yes. Marinda. I suppose your father or I will have to go pick her up?"

"It's not her fault her mum's a muggle and they live in a tiny house with central heating and no fireplace." Rose pointed out, using the same argument she'd used every summer since she and Marinda had become friends.

"You are right, of course. For the, what? Fifth time is it?"

"Eh, who's counting?"

**June 21st 2022**

"Oh, Mum, please?" Rose held up a deck of muggle Tarot Cards that Hermione found similar to the ones Professor Trelawney had used during Hermione's stint as a Divination student in her third year. She eyed Ginny in hope of some help, but Ginny rarely entered a muggle shop, and she and Lily were pointing at things excitedly, and generally making a spectacle of them all.

"Okay," Hermione conceded. Rose smiled widely, and put the cards in the basket Hermione was carrying. "What about this?" She nodded to a long thin box with a picture and black writing.

"What's a Ouiji board?" Rose asked, but the question fell on deaf ears, as Hermione was reading the back of the box.

"It's pronounced wee-gee," Hermione informed her eldest. "It supposedly helps you channel and talk to spirits."

"Cool!" Lily yelled, announcing her and Ginny's return. Lily was the spitting image of her mother, with long, darker red hair and brown eyes. "I'm so excited. I've never been to a sleep over with people other than family."

"Remember those days with Victoire? When she used to make us sit still while her and Dominique braided our hair and gossiped over all of the hot blokes?" Rose reminisced.

"We were the first to know that she fancied Teddy," Lily told the adults matter-of-factly.

"What's next on the list?"

"Just snacks and party favours." Hermione crossed off the list as the quartet made their way to the registers to be rung up.

"Lily and I need to go bathing suit shopping," said Rose. "My old one has become a bit revealing since my last growth spurt." Hermione sighed, but nodded. It was true that it had been a while since Rose's last bathing suit purchase. She'd worn last years' suit last year.

"Okay. And Lily doesn't need a new one. She can have your old one." Ginny grew up without a lot of money and free flowing funds, and, though she had money, she tried to raise her kids with the same mindset: money doesn't grow on trees and to work hard and spend wisely.

"That's not possible," Lily told her mother as Hermione was rung up. Ginny looked at her questioningly and Rose turned to them.

"Come on, Aunt Ginny. Look at Lily, and then look at me. Lily's boobs are way bigger than mine. And her hips are wider, too." Ginny chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"Thanks for calling me a fat ass!" Lily pouted.

"I'm not!" Rose insisted, immediately cringing at offending her favourite girl cousin. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that you are curvier than me. I'm a stick and flat-chested-"

"I know, I'm just messing you around Rosie!" Rose glared at Lily as they left the store. They all climbed into Hermione's car and were then on their way to their next stop.

"Ooh, I need to ring Harry and remind him to start cooking supper. He and the boys are probably having one helluva Quidditch match," said Ginny.

"I heard George was taking the day off and he and Fred were going over, too," Hermione added, signalling, and then making a left turn.

"Did you hear about George and Gina?" Ginny leaned over to gossip with her sister-in-law without the threat of being overheard by the younger girls.

"So, this is going to be a rocking party," Lily giggled to Rose. "Too bad there's not going to be any boys there. Mum said Uncle Ron threw a fit when you asked."

"Of course. Dad's a tad overprotective." Rose leaned forward to try and get a glimpse of the conversation about Uncle George and his flavour of the week. Ever since he and Angelina had called it quits, he'd been quite the playboy.

"Well, I can't wait to play that wee-gee thing. And watch scary movies and eat popcorn…" Rose zoned her out and trained one ear on the conversation in front of her.

"…went to her flat and she was having it off with another man. Turns out she'd been dating both of them. George didn't really seem to care, though. They'd only been dating for, like, three weeks or something. He said she wasn't that great of a shag," Ginny laughed. Hermione looked horrified.

"He had already slept with her after just three weeks?" she gasped.

"Oh, honey, I'm sure he slept with her on the first date. That's just the kind of women he likes, you know that. Curvy and slutty. No wonder none of them work out," Ginny laughed. "But no sleepovers when Fred's there."

"At least he's still got his priorities straight where Fred's concerned."

And then, the conversation was over and the only thing filling the car was the soft music of the radio. Soft jazzy music that Hermione liked is what Rose had to endure every car trip. Lily had realized that Rose was ignoring her and had turned to stare out of the window at the passing scenery.

"Okay," said Hermione, cutting through the silence after nearly ten minutes. "Snacks can wait until the day before the party. Now all we need are decorations and your swim suits."

"Mum," Rose whined, becoming suddenly irritated and grumpy. "Can we please save this for another day? I'm really tired."

Hermione sighed. "Okay. We can go to Diagon Alley tomorrow after I get off work. Take a nap when we get back to Aunt Ginny's, okay? I can't deal with you grumpy," she added the last part so that only she and Ginny heard. Rose wouldn't have noticed anyway, she was still digesting the previous comment.

"Why are we going over there?" said Rose.

"Ginny invited us to stay for dinner. You haven't seen James or Al in a week!" Hermione caught her daughter's eye in the rear view mirror.

"Ugh," Rose crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine."

Of course Harry hadn't started dinner by the time they arrived at Ginny's house. He was still out in the back on the makeshift Quidditch pitch playing with the boys.

Ginny entered the house first, and when Rose walked in to the twostory home, she immediately relaxed. She had spent so much time at that house, it felt like a second home to her. She found her favourite cousin, Albus Severus, or Al for short, lounging on a sofa in the sitting room, a book on his lap, his glasses sliding down the length of his nose.

"Hey Al," Rose greeted, picking up Albus's feet and moving them to the floor to give herself room to sit.

"Hey yourself, brat," Albus teased, sticking out his tongue at her and closing his book. Rose caught a glimpse of the title and rolled her eyes.

"I swear you were born to the wrong Weasley," she giggled. Albus's eyes grew wide and he pushed his thin, wire-framed glasses up his nose.

"What have they told you?" the two best friends laughed over their private joke for a moment before Albus sat up and moved his copy of Hogwarts: A Revised History to the coffee table.

"So," Albus leaned in close to her so they wouldn't be overheard. "I got an owl from Scor today," he muttered, referring to Scorpius Malfoy, Rose's boyfriend. "He sent me a letter for you."

"Can I have it?" Rose asked, excitedly. She nearly tackled her cousin with the news that her secret boyfriend had written to her. In fact, Albus was her only cousin who knew about them. He had befriended Scorpius first and deemed him good enough for Rose when she'd shared her feelings for him after Christmas Holidays during fifth year.

"That depends," Albus said slyly. "What's in it for me?"

"Oh, you're infuriating!" She cried and then bit her lip in thought. "I can give you the invite list to my party," she smiled. Albus' brows furrowed.

"What do I care who you're inviting anyway? Besides, I already know. Even if Uncle Ron said you could only invite two people, you'd talk your way in to inviting your four best friends by your great powers of negotiation. Then your mum would force you to invite Lily, and therefore your four bestest friends plus close girl cousin will be the ones attending your little slumber party. Some sweet sixteen."

"It may not be the ideal Sweet Sixteen party, but it's something. What are you going to do for yours then?" She asked, referring to his birthday in early August.

"Nothing. Boys don't care about birthday parties past the age of, like, ten when it's no longer fun for your mum to plan a rousing round of Ghoul, Ghoul, Gnome or Pin the Tail on the Thestral. Besides, I'm happy enough with Grandmum's monthly birthday dinner."

Every month Grandmum Weasley made a special dinner to celebrate everyone's birthday for that month. It just so happened that all of the Hogwarts aged children would celebrate their birthdays with a big feast a few days before they were to go back to school, since so many of their birthdays were spent at Hogwarts.

"Okay, so sue me, I'm a girl. I like to have birthday parties and get treated special. I'm entitled."

"True, but, alas, I do not care who got an invite to your stupid girly party. You'll have to come up with something better to get that letter."

"Well if you're so clever, then you know that in attendance to my, as you put it, 'stupid, girly party,' will be one Miss Marinda Rosaline Vandervent. And, since you're so clever, you'll note that Miss Marinda Rosaline Vandervent will have to get to the party in some way other than floo because of her fireplace issue slash muggle parents issue, which will happen to entail traveling by automobile on the day before the party. And because of the fact that I know of your cute little school boy crush on one Miss Marinda Rosaline Vandervent, you may want to be in attendance of said automobile ride if you want to see her at all this summer. Now, may I have the letter or not?"

Albus grudgingly opened the book he'd been reading to someplace near the middle and pulled out a blank white envelope. He almost handed it to her, but pulled it back at the last second.

"I get backsies?" Albus bargained. Rose rolled her eyes and nodded. Albus handed her the envelope, a smile gracing his tanned face.

"Thanks. So, why aren't you outside playing Quidditch with the rest of the boys?" She wondered, tucking the letter safely into the back pocket of her denim shorts.

"Uncle George is here with Fred and the teams would've been uneven," Albus pointed out.

"Speaking of," Rose said out of the corner of her mouth as a two of her male cousins and her brother waltzed into the room, looking sweaty and dirty and downright gross. "Ew, James!" She yelled when James plopped himself on the couch next to her and pulled her into a sweaty, one-armed hug.

"Cheer up, Rosie. It's almost your birthday! And I know exactly what I'm going to get you, too!" he looked mischievous and Rose was immediately worried.

"The only thing I want from you," she started primly, reminding them all of Hermione, "is for you boys to stay far away from my party." She gave them all a look that told them she was serious and then walked out of the room and into the large kitchen.

"Happy Birthday Rosie Posie!" George was standing in the middle of the kitchen, his arms held out to her. She hugged him briefly, smiling up into his happy face.

"It's not my birthday yet, Uncle George," she reminded him sweetly. She was so sweet to her uncles, it could give someone a toothache.

"Close enough," George waved her off, and then turned and placed a loud, sloppy kiss against Ginny's cheek. "I've got to be off dear sister," he told her, giving Hermione a hug.

"Awe. Won't you and Fred stay for dinner?" Ginny turned back to the stove and stirred something in a large pot. "We're having Beef Stew. Your favourite!"

"Sorry, Ginny-bean. I've got to get Fred over to Angelina's and then I have a date. I will be by for lunch tomorrow for leftovers."

"If you can pull yourself away from her," Ron muttered under his breath, earning himself a slap on the chest from Hermione. He looked at her and mouthed 'what?'

"There are children in the room, Ronald!" Rose rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, mum. Even Lily is old enough to realize – " Rose was cut off when George cleared his throat.

"And that's my cue to exit! Goodnight Weasleys and Potters. See you soon!"

"That man needs to find a good woman and settle down," Ginny muttered, adding parsley to the stew. She then turned to her daughter and gave her a look. "Lily, please collect your brothers and Hugo and tell them to wash up, dinner's in five minutes." Her gaze shifted to Rose. "Will you please help me set the table?"

That had always been her job at the Potter household whenever she was visiting for dinner. Not because she wanted to. No, she felt envious of her cousins and brother, who were allowed to watch telly or play James' video games while the girls were in the kitchen. In fact, Rose decided, it was a bit sexist of her mother and aunt to assume that she would rather be in the kitchen.

"So, who won the Quidditch?" Rose asked her dad and uncle as she grabbed soup bowls from Ginny's china dresser. She went around the circular table in the kitchen, placing nine bowls around the large table.

"We did, of course," Harry cried, triumphantly. The pride and mocking in his voice as he smiled smugly at Ron. "James, me, and Fred."

"Of course you won! James and Fred are on the Quidditch team at Hogwarts. I was stuck with George, the lump who never exercises, and Hugo. Hugo's a decent player, I'll give you that, but George's beating skills have severely diminished since his Hogwarts days."

Leaving her dad and uncle arguing over the match, she turned back to her aunt. Rose slid open the drawer of the dresser containing the silver and pulled out nine large soup spoons.

"Aunt Ginny," she said in her sugary-sweet-get-what-I-want tone she used on her aunts and uncles. "Is it okay if Al comes with me and dad on Thursday to pick up Marinda?" Her brown eyes blinked hopefully at her aunt.

"If Al wants to go, I suppose that's okay." Ginny levitated the pot to the table and began ladling the stew into the bowls.

"Of course he wants to go. She's his best friend." Harry cut in, his conversation with Ron about Quidditch finished. "Thanks, Love," he mumbled when Ginny served him his stew. "It's rather odd, that. Having a girl for a best mate," then his eyes shot to Hermione. "No offence, 'Mione."

Hermione just smiled, knowingly. "It's okay, Harry. Besides, I think he's rather…smitten with that girl."

Rose's eyes widened when her mother shot her a winning smile. She gave her a look that said 'mothers know best' and Rose's eyebrows rose to her hairline. Obviously not, she giggled to herself, thinking about her secret boyfriend. She tucked into her stew, and had another thought. _What if she _does_ know about me and Scorpius?_

Hermione kept giving her that same smile all throughout dinner.


	2. Why Ron Should Never Drive a Car

Sorry it took a while for me to send this back, I was sick

**Chapter Two:**

_Why Ron Should Never Drive A Car_

**June 24th 2022**  
_Number 3 Sutter Street_

**7:43 A.M**.

Why they had to get up so damn early was beyond Rose, as she brushed her long red hair down her back. She gathered all of her hair and drew it over her shoulder, plaiting it quickly and securing the plait. with an elastic band.

She moved over to her window, throwing it open and sniffing up the sweet, summer air. It was foggy out, and rather muggy, and her back yard smelled of her mother's flower garden that was right below her window.

"Rose!" Her mother's voice drifted down the hall from the kitchen. "Breakfast! Al has arrived!" Rose rolled her eyes at her mother's impatience. She moved to her bureau and contemplated her wardrobe choices.

For some unknown reason, her mum had gone out the previous day and bought her a brand new dress for her party. It was flower print, but not those little flowers that make you feel like a little girl. No, these were big, dark blue and ruby red flowers on a white background with emerald green trim and a green sash around the waist that made a bow in the back. She was completely in love with the dress and briefly felt a bit of remorse for causing so much trouble about her party. Well, it wasn't a LOT of trouble, but it was more trouble than she was worth and she thanked the gods for her wonderful mother.

She would be taking back that statement later, of that she was sure.

Rose grabbed a pair of denims, the kind that were faded in the right places, and looked well worn, and incredibly fashionable. Ginny had bought those for her for Christmas. Seems Aunt Ginny didn't like spending tons of money on her own children, but that's where she drew the line.

She pulled a thin strapped black camisole over her head and looked herself in the mirror. Black seemed to be the only colour that didn't clash with her hair. Well, and white. And sometimes yellow. But red was out of the question, green reminded her of Christmas (with her red hair), and don't even get her started on blues and purples.

Lastly she clasped a necklace around her neck. It was her favourite necklace, given to her for Christmas by her best friend, Marinda, their first year at Hogwarts. It was half of a heart. It had once been a whole heart that read 'Best Friends,' but it had been broken in half. Rose had the half that read 'Best' and Marinda wore the half that read 'Friends.' It was the only piece of jewellery she ever wore besides a watch.

"You're missing breakfast!" was called down the hall next and Rose, once again, rolled her eyes at her mum's sing-song voice. She slid her feet into black flip-flops and, tossing her plait over her shoulder, left her room, closing the door quietly behind her.

**7:57 A.M**.

"Where's Huey?" She asked of her brother, plopping into the nearest chair in the kitchen, pouring herself a bowl of cereal from the box in front of her. She added a bit of milk and looked up.

"Sleeping. He doesn't need to be up at this hour over summer break." Rose was reminded that it was only eight in the morning at the end of June. She grumbled into her cereal. Then, she grumbled some more, chewing the mush that tasted like cardboard. Only her mum would be the one to buy something that had absolutely no flavour. What were they called? They should be called Bland-o's. She marvelled at the little round pieces of cardboard before shoving another spoonful into her mouth. No wonder her mum was so thin…

Rose looked over to Albus, who looked like he would fall asleep in his own bowl of Bland-o's. Quick! Get this boy some sugar! She giggled and pushed her empty bowl away before shoving at Albus' shoulder.

"Whatsamatter?" He sat up straight, and then rested his head on his upturned palm.

"You don't have to go, you know," she reminded him, but he vigorously shook his head.

"She's my friend, too. And I probably won't get to see her again until school starts and that's all the way in September, so hey, what's waking up at the crack of seven once during this lovely holiday?" Albus kept himself awake by pinching his arm every so often as Rose and Hermione had yet another conversation about Rose's party.

"Well, I got an owl from Lola and Lora last night and they vote for watching scary movies since their parents don't have electricity…purebloods, you know? And that they would bring over Butterbeer, but if we want anything else to drink we are on our own and they have lots of gossip material and they said they would bring their bathers but that Lora is sure it's going to rain. Her and that Divination, I swear!" Rose informed her mother in, what seemed to be, one breath. Hermione just stood there, trying to digest all of the information, but Rose continued.

"And I had that floo call from Kendal yesterday and she doesn't know if she can even come because her dad is going out of town on business and she's supposed to go and stay with her aunt who is super strict, and she said she may be able to come if she doesn't misbehave, which shouldn't be a problem because you know Kendal, she's so calm, but her brat of a sister will probably try to screw things up for her so she's not stuck with her aunt all alone. Did you know her sister got sorted in to Slytherin?"

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but at that moment, Ron walked in, car keys in hand, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, let's get headed. A lot of driving and not a lot of time. Got patrols to do at two."

Hermione kissed Ron's cheek and gave Rose a hug. "Don't speed. And stick to the directions Rose gives you. You know you're no good with directions."

"Yes, love," Ron made a motion with his hands to hurry the two along, as if to get Hermione out of his hair before he bruised his ego any more.

**8:19 A.M.**

The car was tiny. And old. A number of family members had tried to magic the car in to expanding, but nothing would work. In fact, it took Ron, Harry, and Hermione to get the ceiling height right so that Ron's tall frame could even fit behind the wheel.

Riding with Ron was a trip in and of itself. He took corners way too fast, rarely used his mirrors, and was a speed demon. Rose had to grab the 'oh poo' handle more than once during the two hour trip to the Vandervent house.

"Hey, dad," she started after Ron made a particularly sharp right turn, nearly throwing her onto his lap and causing Albus to fly halfway across the backseat even though he had his safety belt on. "Do you think I could drive on the way home?"

"Yeah, right," Ron scoffed, laughing heartily at the idea. Rose cringed when he stopped at a traffic light, nearly skidding into the intersection.

"Then can you please slow down?" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ron glared at her.

**10:03 A.M.**

Five minutes later they sped down a familiar street, coming to a stop in front of a familiar house. It was a small, white, one-story house, and sitting out on the front steps was Rose's best friend in the world, Marinda Rosaline Vandervent.

She had her long, curly brown hair clipped out of her face, but flowing down her back. As she stood, Rose noted her bright blue camisole showed off her upper assets without looking trashy, and her white ruffled-linen skirt was short enough to be stylish, but not too short that she looked like a tart.

"Rosie!" She jumped off the steps as Rose threw open the car door and ran up to her, wrapping her in a large hug.

"Indy!" She cried as they embraced. They pulled back slightly and said in unison, "It's so good to see you!"

"Cor," Ron muttered. "It hasn't even been two weeks and they're bloody crying all over each other like it's been years." He and Albus had gotten out of the car by then, and were leaning against it, watching them. The girls heard his bitching and turned to him.

"Hello Mr. Weasley," Marinda said, raising her hand above her eyes to shield the bright, mid-morning sun's glare. The fog had lifted just as they were getting on the motorway and it was shaping up to be a gloriously sunny day.

"Marinda," Ron nodded to her.

"Let me just get my stuff," she told Rose and headed back up the stairs. She threw open the door and yelled something inside, picking up a duffle bag the length of the trunk of the car. There was more yelling, and it was clear she was having an argument with someone in the house.

It went on for a few moments, back and forth, and then Marinda yelled, "Whatever," and slammed the front door. It took the strength of both of her arms to lug the bag down the steps and to the car. Albus immediately took it and loaded it.

"Your mum not wanting to say goodbye?" Ron asked while Albus was busy with the bag.

"Eh," Marinda shrugged. "Apparently while we were at school, she got married again." She looked at Rose pointedly. "Husband number five. Muggle." She ended as if that explained it all. At the confused expression of Ron, she added a bit more of an explanation. "She doesn't want him to know about," she leaned in, "magic. So," she straightened back up, "she told him I went to boarding school in Scotland and that my father paid for it. He doesn't want kids, so they spent the last week and a half ignoring me completely. Talk about fend for yourself…"

"That's horrible!" Rose commented, sliding in to the front seat. Marinda squeezed into the back next to Albus behind Ron and Rose smirked. Al must be in heaven.

"Not as bad as daddy number two. He wanted to send me back to school for the summer, remember?" It had been after first year, her first summer back. She'd stayed with Rose for half of that summer until her mum contacted her and told her that she'd divorced him and wanted her "baby" back.

"Wasn't number four okay?" Rose questioned as Ron started the car and headed towards the motorway.

"Daddy number one, a.k.a. bio dad, was a bit of a jerk but all in all not too bad, aside from leaving my mum when they found out I was a witch. As if she could control it. Daddy number two was a rebound prick. Daddy number three actually lasted two years, probably because he was a wizard and they are the best. Daddy number four was my favourite because he was rich and nice and bought me clothes and shoes and all of my school things even though he didn't know that's what he was buying because he was a muggle. I'm not sure why they broke up. Christmas just wasn't the same. That brings us to Daddy number five, a.k.a. the present."

Rose smiled. She and Marinda shared the ability to talk and drone on and on about things they were pretty sure no one else around cared about. They were so similar it was scary.

"Do you enjoy speaking in run-on sentences?" Albus asked and Marinda turned to him.

"Of course I do, Alby. Whatever I can do to annoy you, right? Hello by the way. Haven't seen you in forever. Have you grown?" She giggled, crinkling her nose.

"Ha, ha," he muttered. It was a laughable fact that Albus had gotten the 'tall' Weasley gene from his mother and was now a few inches taller than his father. He didn't have anything on Ron, however.

The talk soon turned to the party and Rose and Marinda giggled excitedly over the prospect of a slumber party. Neither of the girls had really had any girl friends growing up, and, while living in a dorm full of girls every night for nine and a half months out of the year was like one long slumber party, the pressures of school and homework and prefect duties put a damper on all of the fun festivities.

Besides," said Marinda, "Lola is in Hufflepuff and I want to see if she really does snore as loud as Lora says."

"I won't be enjoying that." Rose commented.

"You do know the cardinal rule of sleepovers, right?" said Albus, looking between the girls. Ron, in the front seat, had a smirk on his face.

"No, what?" said Marinda.

"Er, well," he stuttered for a moment, catching her big blue eyes, before composing himself. "Don't fall asleep first," he stated matter-of-factly.

"And why is that?" Rose giggled.

"Because once the first person falls asleep, everyone else can play a prank on them."

"Really?" Rose narrowed her eyes at him. "And how do you know this? Been to a lot of sleepovers Al?"

"No. It's common dorm-room knowledge," at their curious faces he sighed. "Come on. You can't be that goody-goody that you haven't…you know, done something to someone while they were sleeping?" The girls shook their heads and he looked slightly put out. Then he glared teasingly at Rose. "And you call yourself a Weasley!"

"Like what kind of stuff, Alby?" He grimaced at the nickname. Marinda was the only person allowed to call him that. In fact, the last person who had tried to call him that had received his mum's signature Bat Bogey hex right to the face. It had, unfortunately, been right in front of a teacher and he had served a weeks worth of detention with Professor Winifred, the potions teacher, scrubbing cauldrons and alphabetizing ingredients.

"Like, writing on their forehead with Uncle's George's Permanent Ink Pen."

"Or putting their hand in a bowl of warm water," Ron added from the front. The three teens looked at him.

"What does that do?" Rose asked her dad.

"It makes them wet themselves."

"Or put whipped cream or strawberry sauce or something like that in the palm of their hand and then lightly rub a quill or feather on their face so they will cover themselves with the substance and then put glue powder on the floor so when they wake up and try to come after you they won't be able to move…" Albus stopped when he realized everyone was starting at him. Even Ron was looking at him in the rear-view mirror.

"Now who is talking in run-on sentences?" Marinda smirked.

**11:11 A.M**.

"Okay, Mr. Weasley. If you didn't want me to come you could have just said rather than try to kill me," Marinda groaned after she was tossed on to Albus's lap from a particularly sharp left turn.

The safety belt on that side was broken, as the car was rather old, and she hit her head against the little window. Pain pulsed at the back of her skull immediately and her head lolled to the side, landing on Albus's shoulder. She closed her eyes and willed the pain to go away.

She opened her eyes and found green ones staring back at her. Albus hastily pushed his glasses up his nose and looked concerned. "Are you okay?" he wondered.

Marinda noted then that she was on his lap, her bum resting between his slightly spread thighs, her right hand on his chest and her left had somehow managed to get underneath her own leg and rested on said thigh. Her feet were still stuck under Ron's seat and her leg was twisting painfully.

When did he get so muscular? She wondered, her left hand resting on thick, hardened thigh muscle. She bit her lip and splayed the fingers on her right hand on his chest, feeling the contours of his pectoral muscles beneath the thin cotton of his Chudley Cannons tee shirt, and noting his heart beat. It was racing.

She lifted her head and looked up into his green eyes, and only then did she snap out of her Albus-got-hot revelation and realize she was sitting on her best friend's lap and it had nothing to do with g-force any more.

"Sorry!" She cried, scooting herself off his lap and resting on the seat next to him. But she slid a bit closer than was actually needed, pressing her thigh against his jean-clad one.

Marinda looked up in to his face to see if he noticed, but he was staring silently out of the window. She took that time to really look at her best male friend of nearly six years.

His black hair was messy as always, and no matter how his mum cut it, it always seemed to be the same length: slightly covering his ears, curling at the nape of his neck, and falling in to his eyes. She loved his green eyes. They were the perfect shade of emerald. And his nose wasn't long like Rose's dad's, but the perfect proportion for his face. He was beginning to grow stubble on his upper lip, and the short, coarse hairs made him look older and rougher than he actually was.

Her gaze dropped a little lower to his mouth. His bottom lip was fuller than the top, and they were a perfect shade of peachy pink. They really were the perfect lips. His "kiss-me" lips.

Ron took another sharp turn and she caught herself thrust into Albus again, only this time her chest met with his side and the only thing that moved forward was her hand…which landed on a place on Albus she hadn't been thinking about.

"Oh my gosh!" She yelled and pulled her hand back at the same time Albus groaned out, "Uncle Ron!"

She turned her head to the side looking sheepish, a pink tinge flooding her cheeks. After a moment, she chanced a glance at Albus. He had a hint of a smile on his otherwise neutral face.

She smiled to herself.

**11:17 A.M.**

Albus smiled to himself. Marinda Rosaline Vandervent, his secret-to-everyone-besides-Rose crush, had just touched his jean clad crotch. Granted, it had been an accident and she did look rather embarrassed, but still…

He remembered the day she had become his friend. Albus had been sorted in to Gryffindor the previous night at the Welcome Feast and had been shown Gryffindor tower with all of his fellow Gryffindor first years, which included Rose and Marinda.

Their first class of their Hogwarts career had been Potions with Professor Marsha Winifred. He had sat with Rose because, up to that point, she was his only friend, and best friend at that.

The grey haired witch was calling roll off a piece of parchment and he raised his hand when she read "Albus Severus Potter." He'd heard a fair amount of snickers at the sound of his names. Even though people made fun of him, and some even felt bad for him because of the two hideous names, he actually liked them. They were unique. And he was named after two people important to the second war. They made him special.

Professor Winifred called out "Miranda Rosaline Vandervent" and a girl with curly brown hair who was sitting in the front of the room raised her hand. The professor had been poised to go on, when the girl spoke.

"Actually, professor," she stood from her seat and spoke directly to the teacher, although every eye in the classroom was on her. "It's Marinda."

"That's what I said," Professor Winifred said. "Miranda."

"No, no," the little girl insisted. "Try it like this. Repeat after me. Mar as in March."

"Mar," the professor clearly did not like being told what to do, but she did repeat it.

"In as in, you are going in to the classroom."

"In," she muttered darkly, through gritted teeth.

"Da, as in, duh this name is pronounced exactly how it is spelled."

"I think I will call you Miss Vandervent, how's that for you?" She smiled at the student, but anyone could tell that the smile was fake.

The girl nodded and sat down, but whispered to the girl sitting next to her, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Gosh, she must have some talent to become a teacher without being able to read."

Marinda had gotten detention that night and for the rest of the week and Albus had decided that she was worth befriending. Of course, Rose did and then, being Rose's best friend, eventually Albus did.

**12:03 P.M.**

It was noon when Ron pulled the car in to the driveway at the Weasley house. Albus dutifully carried Marinda's duffel into the house and deposited it in Rose's room, before joining the two girls for lunch in the kitchen.

They had their heads pressed together, but when he walked in, they leapt apart. He narrowed his eyes at them, but didn't question it as he took a sandwich off the platter left out for them by Hermione.

After lunch the girls retired to Rose's room and Albus joined Hugo in the sitting room to watch television.

"So, what did Scorpius say?" Marinda muttered, playing with the 'Friends' necklace around her neck.

"He said he misses me and he is spending most of the summer with his dreadful grandfather while his dad and mum take a second honeymoon. And that hopefully we can meet up in Diagon Alley for lunch some time soon."

"That would be nice," Marinda sighed. She moved back on Rose's bed until she was propped against the headboard and pillows, and she crossed her legs at the ankles.

"Are you still upset about Drake?" Rose asked, referring to Marinda's boyfriend who she had broken up with before their OWLs.

"No," Marinda shook her head and then looked down.

"Well, what is it? You can tell me? I know you are the one we always go to….the keeper of secrets if you will – "

"I prefer confidant," Marinda cut in. "It is much more sophisticated."

"Right. So…"

"It's nothing! I'm just so excited about your party and kind of bummed that I didn't get to have one. And that it's not boy/girl," she added the last part in to get Rose's attention focused on something else.

"So if you are the confidant," Rose said after a moments silence. She really didn't want to get riled up about the whole boy/girl party thing again. "Then Lola and Lora are…"

"Egotistical? Crazy? Weird beyond belief? Social outcasts?"

"In our little group…the clique if you will…"

"The twin comic relief. And Kendal is the peacemaker."

"That's right. Whenever we have fights, she's always the one to resolve them," Rose smiled, sitting next to Marinda on the bed and tucking her feet up under her.

"Except when she's part of the problem," Marinda pointed out.

"Then you are on your own. And I am – "

"The brainiac. Without a doubt. Smartest witch in our year, you are."

"And Albus is…"

"In the doorway." The girls turned at the sound of his voice and he took that as an invitation into the room. He sprawled out across the foot of the bed, trying to ignore the fact that if he tilted his head just right he could see straight up Marinda's skirt. "I don't think I want to know the answer to that anyway."

"Aw, we love you, Alby," said Marinda.

"Oh, I forgot," Rose started, slapping Albus' leg absentmindedly. "Mum is taking off early to take us and Lily shopping for bathers." Then she turned to her cousin and waggled her eyebrows saying, "Want to come, Al?"

"As much as I'd love to," Albus started sarcastically, "I think my masculinity may come in to question if I'm seen trying on bikinis."

"You could help us pick them out! We could give you a fashion show!" Rose shot Marinda a look at her suggestion and thought she caught a glimmer of…hope on her face?

"Ew!" Albus said automatically. "My sister and my cousin prancing around in barely any clothing and you want me to be the judge of what looks good on them?" Then added, "Plus my best friend," but had no glimpse of disgust in his voice, unlike his first statement.

"Fair enough," Marinda shrugged. "I was thinking red with little white hearts. Or maybe, like, blue, green, and pink stripes. The kind that ties on the side, though, or maybe with the rings that hold the bottoms together."

"And I'm gone!" Albus muttered, rolling off the bed and waving a hand over his shoulder as he left the room.

"I didn't mean to scare him away!" She turned to her friend and bit her lip.

"Oh please," Rose grinned. "He wasn't scared. Turned on, maybe. But not scared."

"No! Albus doesn't like me like that?…Does he?" She crossed her legs in front of her and rested her hands in her lap, picking at a hangnail.

"I'm not sure," Rose lied. "But he's a teenage boy and you were talking about wearing barely any clothing. It's not hard to put two and two together."

"He certainly has gotten buff. When did our scrawny little bookworm develop…abs? And thighs? And perfect 'kiss-me' lips?" Marinda gave a shudder of delight at the memory.

"I saw you feeling him up in the backseat!" Rose giggled behind her hand.

"I was not! Your dad is such a crazy driver!" She blushed.

"So, are you developing a crush on my cousin, Indy?"

Marinda looked down at her hands for a moment before answering in what she hoped was a convincing voice, "I don't know."


	3. Credit Cards, Transfigured Dresses, BFFs

The story's good so far Chapter Three

_Credit Cards, Transfigured Dresses, and BFFs?_

**June 25th 2022**  
_Number 3 Sutter Street_

Rose had woken early and slipped out of her bed, her best friend still sound asleep under the dark purple comforter. Her feet stepped off the rug and onto the cold wood floor before she escaped into the attached bathroom. The red head showered quickly and dressed in cotton shorts and a green Holyhead Harpies tee shirt, leaving her wet hair hanging down her back, and headed down the hall to the kitchen.

"'Morning, Love," Hermione told her as Rose slid in to the closest chair to the door. "You're up early."

"Couldn't sleep," she muttered, pulling her legs up on to the chair. "I'm a bit anxious about tonight."

"You're going to have such a good time," Hermione put a cup of cinnamon tea in front of her and she sipped it gratefully.

"I'm going to get whipped cream in my face or my hand in warm water and I'm going to wet myself!" Rose cried, morosely.

"What?" Hermione laughed. "Where did you get such ideas, Rosie?" Rose shot her mother an indignant, I-don't-like-being-made-fun-of look and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Dad and Al. They said that's what happens to the person who falls asleep first and I thought about it all night and I couldn't sleep so now I'm going to be exhausted and I won't be able to last very long and I'll probably fall asleep in my cake." She paused for a moment, then turned her eyes to her mother. "There is going to be cake, right?"

Hermione laughed. "You are your father's daughter. Yes, of course there will be cake. And the girls won't be here until six so if you want to take a nap this afternoon, go for it."

"But I have to be a proper host to Marinda," Rose sighed, putting her head in her hands and shoving her tea cup away, angrily.

"Marinda has been here a week or two every summer since your first year. She is perfectly capable of being around us without you there chaperoning her." Hermione chastised, becoming impatient with her daughter. "Stop being so dramatic."

Ron came in to the kitchen then, and headed straight for the coffee pot. He poured himself a cup, took the Daily Prophet off of the counter where the owl had dropped it early in the morning, and then placed a kiss on Rose's head.

"Happy Birthday, love." Rose looked up, frowning, and he smiled widely at her.

"Thanks, dad." She sighed loudly.

"Uh oh, what's wrong, Rosie Posie?" Ron sat down on the opposite side of the table, next to Hermione, and looked at his daughter.

"You and Albus have been putting ideas in her head and now she's worried about falling asleep first," Hermione shot him a look.

"Is that all?" Ron asked his daughter. She looked up and nodded. "Well, there's an easy solution to that." Rose quirked an eyebrow but didn't say anything. "Slip one of them a sleeping draught. Then you won't have to worry about it."

"Ron!" Hermione sounded shocked that he would even suggest such a thing, but Rose was smiling all the same. Hermione shook her head. They were way too alike for words.

"I think we should give her present now, don't you love? Before Hugo wakes up and throws a fit." Ron suggested, standing and walking out of the room. He returned half a minute later with a small square envelope in his hands. He placed it on the table in front of Rose, smiling widely.

Rose stared at the pink envelope. Her name was scrawled across the front in her father's messy script. She reached out and flipped it over, noting that he hadn't even bothered to seal it.

"Why taste that god-awful glue stuff if you are just going to rip it open. It is a waste of saliva if it's not going in the mail," said Ron at her raised eyebrow.

"You could have used a sealing charm, Ronald," Hermione chastised. Ron shrugged, taking a large gulp of his coffee.

"You got me a card for my birthday?" Rose questioned, looking at her parents. "For my sixteenth birthday, all I get is a card?" She knew she sounded ungrateful, but she couldn't help it.

"Open it," said Hermione, her lips a thin line. "Before I take it back."

Rose did as she was told and slid the pink envelope open. She pulled out the (shock) pink card that was nestled inside and looked at it. On the front was a teddy bear holding balloons. It wasn't even a magical card that talked or recited a poem. It was a muggle one that didn't move or sing or anything.

She opened the card, a long paragraph of her mother's script off to one side, the printed script on the other. She noticed something thin fall out of the card and clatter on to the table, but she ignored it and read.

As she took in the words, her eyes widened and her face lit up. Rose smiled, literally ear to ear, as she got to the end of her mother's ramblings. Then she looked up at her parents, her eyes dancing with excitement.

"Really?" She wondered aloud, as if making sure her parents weren't playing a cruel, cruel joke on her. Her mum nodded and her dad smiled, but looked a tad bit worried and more than a little hesitant.

Finally, Rose looked down at the object that had landed on the table. She picked up the muggle credit card that had her name printed on it and held it up in the light.

"You're going to let me take four of my friends in to muggle London all by ourselves and I get my very own credit card?" She squealed happily and jumped out of her seat. She threw herself at her father first, hugging him tightly, before turning to her mother and giving her a bone crushing hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"There are a few stipulations, however," Hermione told her firmly, gesturing Rose back to her seat. Rose complied, her smile never faltering. "You are to go floo straight to the Leaky Cauldron, go straight to the restaurant, and then come straight home. No window shopping and absolutely no sight seeing."

Rose nodded happily, fingering the silver edge of the platinum card. "And the credit card?" She wondered how she had come to have such wonderful parents.

"It's for dinner tonight and emergencies only. You have to ask permission to use it," at Rose's nod, Ron's eyes narrowed. "If we see a charge on the bill that we didn't approve, your mum is going to cut up that card before you can say 'mummy-it-wasn't-my-fault,' got it?" Rose nodded again, her fingers tracing over the raised letters of her name on the card.

"We really get to go to Le Pierre's?" She asked her mum, thinking of the exquisite cuisine of her favourite French restaurant a few blocks from the Leaky Cauldron.

"Reservations for six at seven," Hermione nodded. "We've gotten permission from the girls' parents, of course. Except for Marinda," she eyed Ron. "They've made the proper clothing arrangements."

"Is that what you bought me that new dress for?"

"Yes. And I thought it would go lovely with your hair." Hermione tilted her head and smiled at her daughter.

"I'm going to go tell Marinda!" Rose cried, and before either of her parents could protest and argue to let the girl sleep, she was out of her chair and running down the hall.

--

"Is this too casual?" Marinda asked at around four that afternoon. She held up a black short sleeved dress to her body, looking at herself in the full length mirror in Rose's bedroom.

Rose looked up from the vanity where she sat, contemplating the colour scheme for her make up. She turned on the backless stool and looked at her best friend.

"No," she answered her question, but crinkled her nose. "But it is so boring. It looks like something my mum would wear."

"It's from the section of your closet that all of your mum's old clothes are in," Marinda sighed. She threw the dress on to the bed, adding it to a pile of clothes that had already been discarded.

"Didn't you bring a dress?" Rose asked, standing and walking to her closet to find something for her to wear. "Didn't my parents tell you about my present?"

"No!" Marinda cried, slumping in to the chair at Rose's desk. "I guess they thought I couldn't be trusted with such a great secret."

"Well, what have you got? I'm sure my mum could transfigure something for you. Besides, I'm not sure you would even fit in to any of my dresses. You have got a much more womanly figure."

"Scorpius seems to like your stick-like figure enough," Marinda smirked, teasingly. Rose looked up in horror when, just after Marinda had finished that statement, Hermione walked in to her daughter's bedroom.

Either she hadn't heard or chose to ignore it, but Hermione just smiled at the girls and turned her attention to Marinda. "Did you find anything to wear?"

"Not yet, Mrs. Weasley," she answered, shrugging. "Rose said maybe you could transfigure something for me, if it's not too much trouble."

"Sure," Hermione answered. "I could give it a try. What have you got?"

Marinda went to her bag and pulled out two tops, a strapless blue top that gathered in the centre, and a maroon red short sleeved top. She also grabbed a denim skirt and the white one she'd worn the previous day.

"Well," Hermione started, looking the clothing over. "I could try a stretching charm on this," she pointed to the strapless top, "but I'm afraid it may become a bit see through. I could also try and transfigure the white skirt and that top into a blue dress, since they are close to the same material, but I'm not sure I could get the blues to match. Which would you prefer?"

"Just use the skirt," Marinda answered, closing her eyes at the thought of her favourite top becoming sheer and unwearable. Hermione nodded and laid the blue top and white skirt out on the bed, levitating the other clothes and dropping them in a pile on the floor.

She waved her wand over the clothing, muttering a few separate complicated charms under her breath. The first caused the two pieces of cloth to mesh together, the second forced the seams to flow together exactly, the waist bands of each disappearing, and the third changed the colour of what had once been the white skirt. Hermione gathered up the new, single garment, and handed it to Marinda.

Marinda hurried in to the bathroom and put it on, coming out and looking in the mirror. Hermione smiled, pleased with the results. The skirt had turned the exact shade of blue-turquoise of the top, and the result was a strapless dress that reached the middle of Marinda's thighs, that ruffled at the bottom.

"I love it!" Marinda cried, jumping up and down happily. Then she fell to the floor in front of the closet and dug around for a moment, before pulling out a pair of black, strappy, heeled sandals. "Can I borrow these?" She asked Rose without looking up as she slid them on her feet. They pinched like the dickens, but they looked smashing on her.

"Just so you know," Rose answered as she nodded. "I'm wearing that exact pair in white."

"We will match!"

--

"Mum!" Rose groaned. She saw splotches of pinks and greens and wondered again who in the hell had given her mum a camera. Whoever it was, she was going to murder them. Literally.

She stood in the crowded kitchen, arm threaded with Marinda's, as her mum snapped away. She almost couldn't even keep her eyes open any more. "Okay," she held her hand up to shield her eyes from another flash. "That's enough, mum. At least wait for the other girls."

Rose heard a barking laugh ring out through the kitchen, and she turned to glare at James. All five Potters had showed up at five-thirty. She had thought it was just going to be Aunt Ginny and Lily there that night, but then she found out that her mum was making them all dinner and they would leave as soon as she and her friends returned from their dinner. Rose rolled her eyes, knowing it was her dad's doing. He probably wanted to make sure Rose got home okay.

The fireplace roared green, and the group stood back waiting to see which guest it was. A tall, blonde girl in a cream-coloured dress that had little pink flowers fell out of the fireplace and landed in a heap on the cold tiled floor. She pushed herself off the ground, oblivious to all of the people watching her, as the fireplace came to life again.

Another blonde, this one wearing a black halter dress, stomped out of the fireplace and crossed her arms over her chest. The first blonde was brushing soot off her dress**;** both were still unaware of the others.

"I cannot believe you pushed me!" the first blonde cried, stomping her pump-clad foot angrily.

"I cannot believe you told mum that you caught me snogging Jeffery Tomas right before this party!" The second girl yelled.

Hermione cleared her throat and both blondes looked over to the group of nine who were watching them. The identical girls smiled sheepishly, waving. "Hey, Rose!" The second one said, stepping forward and handing the redhead a small box Rose hadn't noticed before then. "Happy birthday!"

"Yeah," the first one stepped forward, handing Rose a lumpy package that looked like it had been wrapped by a toddler. "Happy birthday!"

Rose took the gifts and laid them on the table, turning to her parents. Her mum looked shocked and startled, her dad looked bemused. "Mum, Dad," she gestured to the twin girls. "This is Lora," she nodded to the girl who had come first, "and Lola Tucker."

"It's so good to finally meet you!" Lora stepped forward, shaking Hermione's hand enthusiastically. "You have a lovely home."

A snort was heard amidst the group of Potters and Ginny smacked the back of James' head. The twins turned to them.

"Ah, James," Lora started, cocking her hip to the side and placing her left hand on it. "I didn't know you would be here. Pity I left my wand at home."

--

Before he could give what would have undoubtedly been a snappy retort, the fireplace roared green again and a shorter girl with black hair and dark skin stepped out, the skirt of her white dress swishing with the movement.

"This is Kendal Oxley. Kendal, my mum and dad," Rose wasted no time with the introductions this time, and the girl stepped forward and shook both of their hands, commenting on the house as well.

"Come on," Rose said, gesturing to her friends to leave the room. "I'll show you my room." The three new girls plus Marinda followed her out of the kitchen and down the hall.

"Oh my gosh," Lora gasped as she walked in to the purple-decorated room. "Your room is huge!"

"I wish we had rooms this nice at my house," Lola agreed. "I would be in heaven if I could have my own room and not have to share with…this." She tilted her head towards Lora.

"Oi!" Lora cried, her blue-green eyes going wide. "I will have you know it is more hell sharing a room with her than it's worth! She can't keep her stuff on her own side and she won't keep her side clean!"

"She is a Hufflepuff, Lora," Kendal reminded her in the soothing tone of hers that she reserved just for dealing with the twins and their petty arguments.

Rose and Marinda shared a knowing smile while Lora just huffed.

"So," Kendal perched herself on the edge of the bed, her clutch purse falling to the side. "What do we have planned, Rose?" She picked up the gold purse and opened the snap, pulling out two small objects. She set them on the bed next to her and pulled out her wand, saying '_engorgio_' while pointing it at each object.

Kendal was the only one in the group who had turned seventeen and was allowed to do magic outside of school. She would be in her seventh year while the other four would be in their sixth, and had become friends with them when Lora and her both became Chasers, along with James, on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Oh, I told mum you could do that!" Lola cried. "She didn't want the snow globe to burst, though, so – " she stopped and shot a look at Rose like she'd just said something horrible. Rose shrugged nonchalantly.

"Let's see your bags, then," Kendal said, moving her bag and the gift she'd just made bigger off to the side to do the same for Lola and Lora's bags. When she was done they all sat on various surfaces around Rose's room.

"I love your dress, Rose," Kendal commented, crossing her legs at the knees on the edge of Rose's bed.

"I agree," Lola nodded. "The green goes lovely with your hair."

"Reminds me of Christmas," Lora grinned.

"At least the primary colour isn't green," Marinda pointed out, laughing at Rose's scowl at Lora's comment. Rose hated the fact that any time she wore green Lora always made a reference to Christmas.

"Oi," Lily said from the door, and the girls all turned and looked at her. She wore a knee length yellow dress with thin straps, her red hair falling over her shoulders. "Aunt Hermione said it's almost time for us to leave and she wants to take pictures."

All five girls groaned, but obediently stood and gathered their things to leave. They walked, giggling like school girls, down the hallway. The kitchen was empty and so they kept going until they entered the sitting room.

James was complaining about having to watch Rose and her friends get their picture taken, Harry was rolling his eyes at him, Ron and Hugo were playing chess off to the side, and Albus was looking straight ahead, his elbow on the arm of the sofa, and his head resting against his upturned palm.

"Mum," Rose groaned when Hermione began situating the girls the way she wanted them to stand.

"Oh don't you girls look lovely?" Hermione squealed, bringing the camera up to the right height. "Ron, tell the girls how lovely they look."

"You look lovely," he muttered, barely glancing up from the chess board.

"You really do," Albus agreed, his eyes lingering on Marinda, in her pretty blue dress and heels. She looked at him and blushed, biting her lip and looking down at the exact moment the flash went off.

"Smile!" Ginny commanded. "Ho, ho, ho. Hee, hee, hee," she said, using the saying she'd used when her kids were little to get their smiles to appear at the same time.

The girls all laughed and mimicked her, turning in to a mess of giggles at the end. Hermione then wanted individual shots of the girls, even splitting up the twins, and a full twenty minutes had passed by the time they were nearing the end.

"Oh, Albus," Hermione said. "I want a picture of you and Rosie." Albus did as commanded and stood, wrapping an arm around his cousin's waist and smiling at the camera. At the last second, he placed a kiss on her cheek, and she giggled.

"Ooh, that'll be a good one! Can I have a copy?" Ginny asked, jumping up and down and clapping. Hermione nodded enthusiastically.

"Mum," said Rose. "What about me, Al, and Marinda?" Hermione nodded, and Marinda joined the two by the small fireplace. The girls sandwiched Albus between them and giggled. Albus put an arm around each other their shoulders.

"One more!" Hermione called. "Let's get the six girls again. Do a funny one!" They all laughed as Lola and Lora stuck out their tongues and crossed their eyes, Kendal picked Lily up and cradled her like a baby, making her signature "pimp" face while Lily laughed and held the skirt of her dress close to her body to keep from flashing her knickers, Rose struck a pose like a body builder, and Marinda blew a kiss to the camera.

"Now it's off with you!" Ron called, ushering the girls in to the kitchen. "You had better be home by nine!" He insisted.

"The Leaky Cauldron," Rose mentioned, and then Lola flooed out of the house. Lora went next, and then Kendal.

"Got something important to do, Mr. Weasley?" Marinda smirked as Kendal disappeared in the fire.

"Just a Quidditch match on the wireless," Harry laughed. Marinda giggled, and then, with a small wave she disappeared as well.

"You have got your credit card, right?" Hermione looked at her daughter.

"Of course, mum. Like I could forget about that!" In the background she heard the boys grumble about that fact, but she ignored it. "We will be back by nine. I promise," she assured her parents, watching Lily disappear leaving her the last one.

She grabbed a handful of floo powder and shot a winning smile at her family before stepping in. The last thing she heard as she whirled away silently praying she didn't get anything on her dress was the seven family members left all call out at the same time, "Happy Birthday!"

--

Rose led the way to Le Pierre's. She had been there four times in her life. French cuisine was her favourite because of the bold flavours and rich sauces. She wanted to spend time in France after she left Hogwarts, studying in Paris and soaking up everything French. Her dad had teased her about it once, saying she could live with her Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur and all of their stuck-up kids, but had not mentioned it again since she had thought he was serious.

She clutched her white purse to her body as she and Marinda walked side by side down the sidewalk. The other girls were behind them, lonely Lily bringing up the rear. The sextet walked for three blocks before coming to a stop in front of a building with a beautifully decorated terrace and lit area.

They entered the posh restaurant and were seated by the maitre d'. Their water goblets were filled, and the waiter came. His name was Christophe and he was tall, blonde, and generally quite handsome. Lola and Lora giggled over him while he explained the specials. He left after a few moments with a promise to return after giving them a bit of time to review the menu.

"This whole thing is in French," Kendal gasped. Rose nodded, opening her own burgundy-coloured menu. She already knew what she'd be having.

"I can't read French, Rose," Lola admitted quietly to Rose's right. Marinda, on Rose's left, agreed and Rose sighed.

"Just tell me what you are looking at and I will tell you what it is," said Rose.

"You know French?" Lola looked up, a tad bit shocked.

"Of course," Marinda laughed, rolling her eyes. "She is our brainiac. So, Rosie, what exactly is Coq au vin?"

"I believe that is chicken. In a red wine sauce, if I'm not mistaken. What are you going to have, Lora?"

"I'm thinking something safe like Poulet frites."

"You don't even know what that is!" Lola giggled.

"Well I'm assuming Poulet means poultry, see how the words are similar. And frites is close to fries, so I'm assuming that it is chicken and fries and that is perfectly fine with me."

"Well," Lily started, as not to be ignored, "the Foie de veau sounds divine." She reached for her water goblet and took a big sip.

"Sure," Rose laughed. "You enjoy your calf's liver there, Lils."

A few minutes later, Christophe came back and they placed their order.

They ate and laughed, especially when Lily decided that calf's liver wasn't all that bad, and then ordered dessert. The girls sang to Rose over an éclair and they all ate their pastries. Lily reminded them of the fact that they still had birthday cake at home, but Kendal said quite snootily, "You can never have too much chocolate!"

The girls walked back to the Leaky Cauldron, giggling like mad over the fact that Christophe-the-dreamy-waiter had given Kendal his phone number. Kendal stared at it blankly, wondering why he'd written a bunch of numbers on a paper cocktail napkin, but Rose had pulled her away by the arm, thanking the man and smiling wildly.

Lily stomped ahead of them as they neared the Leaky Cauldron and by the time they entered the Inn, she had already disappeared in to the fireplace. The girls all flooed out, Rose bringing up the rear, and by eight forty-five, they were safely back at Number Three Sutter Street.

"Have fun?" Hermione asked as Rose stepped out of the fireplace. She was washing dishes the muggle way, and the kitchen was otherwise empty.

"Of course, mum!" She laughed. Her face fell when Hermione dried her hands on a towel and turned around, a frown on her face. "What? What did I do?"

"Can you please tell me why Lily came in a few minutes ago crying?" Rose winced.

"She was crying?"

"Yes! She marched right in here demanding Ginny take her home. Ginny is in the spare room right now trying to calm her down. I sent your friends to your room to change out of their dresses. What happened, Rose?"

"I don't know!" Rose threw her hands up in the air. "She didn't say anything to me! I mean, I guess the girls may have been a bit hard on her because she's so young, and doesn't really talk to us at school, but it was nothing. A snippy comment here or there. She's tough!"

"Go apologize to your cousin. She thinks you don't want her here."

Rose rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. She stomped out of the kitchen, nearly running in to Marinda, who had changed in to shorts and a tank top with her bare feet squishing in to the beige carpet of the hallway. Rose grabbed her arm and dragged her with her down the hall in the direction Marinda had just come from.

The door to the spare room was slightly ajar when they got there, and Rose could see Lily laying facedown on the bed, Ginny sitting next to her rubbing her back soothingly, and, to her shock, Albus laying on the other side of her, propped up on his elbow, running his hands soothingly through her hair. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear, and Lily snorted with laughter.

Rose knocked and pushed the door open. Ginny stood and moved back to allow Rose to talk to her daughter, but refused to leave the room. Albus continued his ministrations on Lily's hair and Marinda smiled at him, perching herself on the end on the bed.

"Hey, Lils." Rose kneeled next to the bed and put a hand on Lily's back. "What's wrong?"

"Your friends hate me," she sputtered, pushing herself up on to her elbows and wiping her bloodshot eyes.

"They don't hate you," Rose insisted, but she knew it was a lie. Lola definitely did not like her and Kendal had a problem being at a party with someone who was barely fourteen, but that had more to do with her upbringing than with Lily.

"Yes they do," Lily insisted, burying her face in her arms.

"So what? You're not here for them, are you? You are here to help me celebrate my birthday and I want you here. You can't leave, Lils."

Marinda stood from the bed and squatted next to Rose. She reached out and fingered a lock of Lily's long red hair. "I think Lola's a prat and Kendal's jealous of you. Do you want to give them the satisfaction? We've got so much planned to do tonight, Lily. We both want you here. We'd send any of those girls home before we'd want you gone." Rose knew it was a lie, and that she was only saying that to keep Lily happy, but she was incredibly thankful for it.

"Will you stay?" Rose cocked her head to the side, waiting for a response. "Please? What do you say?"

"Okay," Lily sighed, sitting up and straightening her skirt. "If you insist."


	4. The Party's Just Begun

Chapter Four:

**Chapter Four**

_The Party's Just Begun or Why Popcorn Wars are Fun!_

**June 25th 2022**  
_Number 3 Sutter Street_

**8:58 P.M.**

Ginny ushered Lily out of the room to get changed in to her night clothes and Rose excused herself also, for the same reason. Albus sat up, scooting himself to the edge of the flower-print-covered bed, his legs dangling off the sides, feet planted firmly on the floor, and his hands clasped on his lap. Next to him, Marinda rose from the floor and plopped herself down.

The bed dipped and they touched thighs. Marinda, brushing her long curly brown hair over one shoulder, put her hand on Albus' thigh. He looked up sharply and found her blue eyes gazing at him, a smile on her face.

"That was really sweet, comforting your sister like that," she looked down shyly, biting her lip.

"Yeah…well," Albus shrugged. Their shoulders touched and Albus' heart soared, thinking he'd never been that close to a girl he fancied in all of his nearly sixteen years of living.

"When did you become such a nice guy, Alby?" she giggled, bumping her shoulder with his and moving her hands back to her lap, lacing her fingers together.

"Oh, you know…I always have been the _sensitive_ Potter." He paused, and then, "Were those girls really that mean to Lily? I know she can exaggerate a bit…"

"They could have been nicer," she admitted, shrugging. "Your sister is one tough cookie, though. And she's got her pride. Even when Rose informed her that she was ordering calf's liver, she still ate it. With a smile on her face. Though, I don't know how she didn't retch. It smelled _awful_."

"She is part Weasley, too, you know. Have you ever seen Uncle Ron eat? That's where she gets it from. He would eat paper and enjoy it if it was put on a platter in front of him." Marinda crinkled her nose and Albus couldn't help but think her button nose was rather cute.

"So what are you boys really up to tonight?" Marinda turned slightly, and Albus was lost in her pretty blue eyes for a moment. He caught himself staring and cleared his throat.

"Err…I think dad and Uncle Ron wanted to get pissed. Dad bought the extra expensive firewhisky, but don't tell my mum."

"I promise," she smiled sweetly. "So you boys are going to get drunk with your dads?"

"Ha!" Albus grinned. "No, no. My dad would never allow that. Well, James might get one drink, but I'm still only fifteen and Dad's all prim and proper. Actually," he leaned closer to her, if that was possible, and lowered his voice. "He would, but I think he's terrified of my mum finding out. He gave James some firewhisky after James got nine OWLs and my mum flipped and dad slept in the spare room for _two days_."

"Ouch," Marinda grimaced, and Albus shrugged.

"I don't think he wants a repeat of those two days. Although, when she finally let him back in to their room, they were locked up in there all day." Marinda wiggled her eyebrows and Albus groaned. "Don't say it. It's bad enough I know what they were doing, but hearing it aloud makes it all that much more prevalent and I don't think I could stomach that."

"Okay," she conceited. "So while your dads are getting pissed, what will you, James, and Hugo be doing?"

"Nothing," Albus smiled wickedly and she narrowed her eyes.

"You wouldn't lie to me, would you Albus Severus?"

"Absolutely not." She sighed, smiling.

"Listen, if you are planning to do something to crash this party, the least you could do is warn me so I can be out of the way and not get hurt. You know I scare easily and of my fear of bats."

"We really don't have anything planned. And I would never let you get hurt, Indy," he said seriously and she smiled at him. He slid an arm around her waist and hugged her to his body. Her hand slid back to just above his knee.

She leaned over, intent on kissing him on the cheek, and he leaned over, intent on the same thing with her. Before either of them knew it, their lips were pressed against each others. Their noses bumped together. Their eyes were both open wide. Then, Albus saw Marinda's slip closed and felt a contented sigh against his cheek. His glasses fogged from her hot breath. She tilted her head so their noses weren't touching. Albus closed his eyes, savouring the feel of Marinda's pouty pink lips against his.

He moved his hand up to cup her face, and her hand that rested on his thigh squeezed gently. Her lips parted slightly and her tongue flicked over his bottom lip. He groaned, his mouth falling open slightly, and his tongue tentatively peeked out, seeking hers.

His hand slid from her cheek to her neck as his tongue moved slowly against hers. He could feel her hot breath against his cheek and his hand on her waist tightened; his other hand moved from her neck to her hair. The smooth curls felt like silk against his fingers and he suddenly had the urge to bury his face in the mass.

He'd never been kissed like this. Sure, he'd shared a few clumsy kisses with a few ex-girlfriends, which happened to include Sarah Longbottom, the daughter of a family friend, but never before had he kissed with such passion. He wanted to deepen the kiss, to explore all of her welcoming mouth, but of course, in a house full of people they were bound to be interrupted.

"Oh my gosh!" A shrill cry came from the direction of the doorway, and the two sprang apart. Kendal was standing in the open doorway with James, Lora, and Rose standing behind her, all with identical smirks on their faces.

Albus looked over to Marinda. Her face was red with embarrassment, and she was fiddling with her fingers nervously. Albus rubbed his forehead, irritated.

"Err…" James started, looking between the two. "Dad says we should get going." Abruptly, Marinda stood and walked quickly out of the room, pushing past the people in the hallway, and a few seconds later a door slammed shut down the hall.

"We should…um…go…" Rose said, pulling her two friends out of the doorway and down the hall. James still stood, hands shoved in his trouser pockets, smirking.

Albus stood and slowly made his way out of the room. The door to Rose's room was closed and he could hear muffled chatter on the other side of it. He shook his head angrily and fled to the kitchen, where his dad, uncle, and cousin were waiting for them.

"Where are the girls?" Hermione asked, walking in from the sitting room. Albus shrugged and stomped over to the fireplace. He flooed away in such a manner that caused more than one confused face in the room.

"What's his problem?" Ron asked, glancing at James. He merely shrugged, though, and followed his brother.

"Great," Harry scrubbed a hand over his face. "That's just what I need tonight. Albus in one of his cranky moods."

**9:13 P.M.**

Marinda brushed the remaining tears from her eyes and opened the door from the bathroom to Rose's bedroom. She stepped out and saw all of her friends lounged across Rose's bed, talking quietly. A giggle erupted from Lora's mouth, and then Lola noticed Marinda in the doorway. She quickly 'shushed' her twin and their gazes landed on Marinda.

"So, what've we got?" said Marinda, nonchalantly. She padded barefoot across the room and sat on the seat beneath the window overlooking the back garden. The backyard was blanketed in darkness, but rain spattered against the window pane, the only sound in the room.

"You want to talk about it?" Kendal asked, sitting backwards on Rose's desk chair, her arms resting on the back.

"Nope," Marinda muttered, shifting her gaze to her friends.

There was a knock on the open door and Hermione, Ginny, and Lily entered the room. Lily kneeled on the floor in her shorts (they looked to be a pair of James or Albus' old boxers, faded black with gold snitches) and an orange Chudley Cannons tee shirt. Her red hair was swept up in a high ponytail and her face had been cleansed of makeup.

The teenagers all turned to them and stared. "What do you girls want to do?" Hermione asked, leaning against the doorframe to the bathroom.

The room was quiet, no one willing to speak up. In truth, Rose had really no intention of doing anything with her mother present.

"How about we have cake and presents and then Hermione and I will leave you girls alone?" That was why Rose loved her Aunt Ginny. She always knew what teenagers wanted: to be away from their parents.

The cake was rectangular and the frosting was pink. Rose rolled her eyes. She didn't understand why everything had to be pink with her mum. Just because she was a girl didn't mean she could only have pink things. It had taken a couple of long fights to get Hermione to allow Rose to paint the walls of her room lavender rather than pink. Both Harry and Ginny commented on how it was more than just Hermione's dislike for the colour, and had whispered the name Lavender Brown loud enough for the tips of Ron's ears turn bright red and Hermione shoot them disapproving looks.

The inside of the cake was chocolate, and the girls gobbled it down. Nearly half the cake was gone. Hermione was astonished because they had just gotten back from eating dinner only half an hour ago.

"Okay, mine first!" Lola thrust a square package in to Rose's face and she thanked her, meekly.

She tentatively unwrapped the shiny paper and found a magical snow globe, the wonderful kind that changed colours and made snow all on its own without shaking or anything. Upon closer inspection, Rose realized the snow was falling down on five figures: a red head, two blondes, a brunette, and a girl with dark skin and black hair.

"It's us," Lola explained when Rose brought the snow globe closer to her face. They were all standing on block letters that read 'Best Friends.'

"Oh my gosh!" Kendal exclaimed, snatching the snow globe out of her hands. "I look so cute! That red top looks great on fake me!"

A round of presents later and Lily handed Rose a box of Bertie Bots Every Flavour Beans, a large square of Honeydukes chocolate, and a cute white cashmere jumper. Marinda handed her a small jewellery box with raised eyebrows and Rose looked at her in wonder.

She popped the lid open and, nestled on a bed of velvet, was a bracelet of white gold with emerald jewels, and matching earrings. Rose smiled, knowing the only person who would get her something in those colours.

"Egh," Lora sighed. "You have the worst taste in colours, Hun. Silver and green? Are you a closet Slytherin?"

Marinda shrugged noncommittally and smiled. "I got a deal on it this month. Emerald is the birthstone of May."

"Why didn't you get the birthstone of June?" Ginny asked.

"You're a woman of class, Mrs. Potter. You know how expensive Peals are. I _**am**_ only a Hogwarts student, after all. Those were on extreme clearance." Her foot bounced, Rose noticed. Her lying 'tick'.

After presents were opened, the six teens made their way in to the sitting room and Hermione and Ginny went off on their own. Rose smirked when she saw her mum discreetly grab a bottle of wine and two glasses from the wine rack.

After a short discussion and a bunch of laughs, the girls decide to watch scary movies. They laid out six squishy sleeping bags in front of the television and laid down, popcorn between them, enthralled by the plot of a particularly scary thriller.

**10:47 P.M.  
**  
"He's behind you!" Lora shouted before stuffing another handful of popcorn in to her mouth. "Behind you!" half chewed bits of popcorn sprayed everywhere as she got up on her knees and shouted at the television. "I told you," she muttered dejectedly when the person in the movie died.

"It's not like she could hear you," Lily pointed out. Lora stuck out her tongue and threw pieces of popcorn at the girl. They both laughed.

"Shh!" Lola hissed, her eyes trained on the TV. There was another girl, the dead girl's sister or cousin or best friend or lesbian life partner or whatever, and she was locked in the house with the murderer.

"Don't go up the stairs, you dolt!" Rose yelled. All of the girls were sitting up by then, clutching their pillows or each other tightly. "You go down and out the front door! No! Don't lock yourself in!"

"He's in the closet!"

"If you had stayed downstairs you wouldn't have to climb out of the window!" Marinda spat. "Close it behind you! Think, stupid!"

"That's right, because running across the yard in your knickers won't attract any attention. Oh," Kendal threw her hands up. "There goes the sprinklers. So fake."

"Oh and here he comes!" Lily cried, clutching her orange pillow closer. "And he's got a big, long – "

"Ahhhh!" The girls all screamed at the same time. An up-close picture of the killer flashed on the screen and Lola flung herself backwards, her arms covering her face. Her legs kicked out unconsciously, knocking the bowl of popcorn over and spilling its contents over the sleeping bags.

"Lo!" Kendal cried, lurching forward for the spilled popcorn. She picked up a handful and threw it at the mess-maker. "Stupid idiot!"

Lola laughed and picked up her own handful, smashing it in her twin's blonde hair. Lora squealed and reached beneath Kendal. The most she could grab was a few pieces, and she threw one at Lily.

It smacked her in the nose, and the red head laughed loudly. Then, Lora threw another piece, this time at Rose. The other red head caught it in her mouth and raised her arms in the air in triumph. She began to chew the piece, but a look of disgust came over her face, and she opened her mouth, spitting the popcorn out in to her hand.

"Ew!" She cried, wiping her tongue on the back of her hand. "Carpet fuzz!"

It was war after that, with everyone throwing popcorn at everyone. There were no teams; it was a free-for-all. Marinda picked up two handfuls, threw them at each twin, and then thrust her salty, buttery hands into Lily's hair.

"Oh no!" the red head said, morosely, and then slumped backwards. Marinda's hands tangled in her hair and was pulled on top of Lily. Marinda untangled her hands and rolled over, knocking Rose off balance and causing her to land on top of her friend and cousin.

Rose laughed and kicked out her feet, knocking Lola in to Lora, who lost her balanced and slammed in to Kendal. Kendal fell backwards, grabbing on to Lora's shirt as she fell, and hit the floor with a loud 'thud!' Lora landed on top of her with an 'ooff!' and Lola tripped on their feet and face-planted into the carpeted floor.

The six teenagers laughed for what seemed like ages. Every time one would stop, another would giggle harder causing everyone to start up again. They were all breathing heavily, and after a long period of sporadic chuckles and deep breaths, they pulled themselves in to sitting positions.

Everyone except for Marinda.

She stared at the ceiling, unblinking. For a moment Rose thought she may have been hurt, but the steady rise and fall of Marinda's chest told her other wise. Rose turned to her friends, a worried expression crossing her features.

"Indy?" Rose called out, uncertainly. The room was quiet. Everyone stared at the unmoving girl. The brunette worried her lip, and then took a deep breath.

"So, I'm kind of crushing on Albus…"

"I'm so bored," James muttered, slumping back against the large sofa in the sitting room of his house. His house that happened to be two blocks away from his Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron's. He picked up a card from the deck that rested on his lap and tossed it towards the hat that was set up on the coffee table in front of him.

He was sandwiched between his brother and cousin in the dark room. There was a single candle lit, and the sconces in the hall shone through the crack in the sliding door. The house was silent but for the periodic slapping of a playing card hitting the floor or bouncing off the rim of the old felt top hat.

James was pissed off. His dad and uncle had disappeared into Harry's study mere minutes after they'd flooed home. His dad had grabbed the bottle of whiskey he'd bought especially for this night, along with two glasses, and they locked themselves in, silencing the room.

They'd be in there the whole night, leaving James to deal with Albus.

Albus sullenly slid a card off the deck and chucked it at the hat. It slid in fluidly, and a smile tugged at the corners of James' mouth. The two of hearts: an air of romance. Don't ask him how he remembered that from Divination; he hadn't taken that since fifth year when it was required. But he somehow remembered his cards and he smirked when Hugo missed an ace of diamonds.

"No new possessions for you, Huey," he laughed. Hugo punched him on the arm with surprising force, causing him to miss the four of clubs. He grumbled about personal values as Albus picked up the next card.

He turned it over in his fingers revealing the three of hearts. His green eyes darted over to James, waiting an explanation of the cards. James shrugged, pretending he didn't know, and watched the card sail in to the hat.

"Either this Divination stuff is scary accurate, or your bloody good at tossing cards, mate," James laughed out.

"Why?" Albus' green eyes narrowed behind his wire-rimmed glasses.

"Your last two cards: romance and celebration."

"It's obviously not accurate," Albus mumbled. His green eyes followed Hugo's nine of spades, which sailed clear across the room and landed in one of Ginny's potted plants.

"You two were kissing like there was no tomorrow!"

Albus' eyes cast downward. James thought he looked like a kicked puppy, which was saddening on a nearly-sixteen-year-old's face. James bit his lip, hoping that his compassionate side could come out for his brother.

"Yeah but as soon as she realised it, she ran out of there so fast…"

"She was embarrassed!" James insisted.

"To be kissing me," yelled Albus.

"In front of all of us," James continued as if he was finishing the rest of Albus' sentence. Albus snorted and Hugo coughed, signalling that it was someone's turn.

Albus picked up a card and chucked it at the hat without even looking at it. It sailed in smoothly and his head snapped to his brothers'. They both bolted from the sofa and grabbed the hat, nearly ripping it in two trying to be the first one to get the card.

James prevailed and he looked at the card first before holding it up. The joker. A moment of silence passed between them, only to be broken by Hugo's exasperated sigh.

"Well," he grumbled. "What does it mean?"

"It's a wild card," James told them, his eyes locked with Albus'. "It means that something unexpected will happen."

Brown eyes met green and another long stretch of silence passed. The only sound in the room was Hugo's bored sighs every so often. And then, as if rehearsed, the brothers looked away at the same time. They both looked at Hugo, who smiled up at them knowingly. Then James spoke.

"We need a plan."

**11:18 P.M.**

"Your house is so…_muggle_," Lola commented half an hour after Marinda's revelation, flipping the light switch on and off. She gazed up in wonder as the ceiling fan in the centre of the room turned on and off.

"My mum is muggle born, you know," Rose reminded them, bending closer to Marinda's feet to see better as the light switched off again. She quickly applied the _Fast-drying Everlasting Mood Nail Lacquer_ to a big toe and then screwed the top back on. She blew on the paint of Marinda's toes and then smoothed her thumb over each one, ensuring they were all dry.

Marinda pulled her foot close to her face for inspection. She nearly went cross-eyed, her toes were so close to her face. "What colour would you say that is?"

"Um," Lily grabbed her foot and pulled it towards her. "Yellowish-orange."

"Yellowish-orange," Marinda whipped her head around to Rose, who was reading the instructions and the colour-coding-chart. "What does yellowish-orange mean?"

"It's _amber_. It means…" she let out a loud laugh, "anxious or uncertain."

"What a crock. I'm not anxious or uncertain." Five heads snapped around to look at her and she grinned sheepishly. "Okay, so maybe I am a little…"

"A little? You ran out on my brother and you call it being a little uncertain?"

Rose narrowed her eyes at her cousin and frowned when her best friend stood up and walked, dejectedly, to the window. She sat on the window seat and pulled her knees to her chest.

"Okay, so I kind of got freaked out," Marinda admitted. "I'll talk to Al. It'll be okay." After a moment of silence, she turned back to the group. "It stopped raining. That must mean the storm's past."

Then, the lights flickered and a split second later the girls were blanketed in darkness.

"What the hell?"

"Aw man!" Lora grumbled. "We didn't even get to play with the Ouiji board yet!"

"Shh!" someone hissed through the darkness. There was a sound of footsteps out in the hallway, beyond the closed door to the sitting room. Rose hoped it was just her mother coming to check on them.

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness eventually, and she saw the outlines of five people in various spots around the room. "Kendal," she whispered, the noise she heard gone. "Where's your wand?"

"Y-your room," the elder girl's voice quivered and there was a laugh.

"Are you afraid of the dark?" The snarky voice belonged to Lola, and the resounding 'smack' that followed came from Kendal.

"Hey, wrong twin!" Lora groaned and Kendal mumbled an apology.

"Girls," Marinda hissed, turning to sit on the window seat with her legs dangling off. "Stop fighting."

"Now would be a great time for a séance," Lola laughed. "Got any plain white candles?"

"I'm sure…in the candle cupboard." Rose replied. Silently, though, she wondered why her mother hadn't come to check on them. Or if she even noticed the electricity had gone out.

"Does this happen often?" Marinda wondered.

"Only during storms. Not usually after them."

Rose stood, intent on leaving to get candles, or go check on her mum. She walked purposefully over to the door, not wanting her steps to reflect her apprehensiveness. She got to the door and tried to slide it open.

It didn't budge.

"Um…" her voice had a trace of panic, and two figures (probably the twins) joined her at the door. "We're locked it."

She tugged on the handle a few more times, pushing and jiggling the door, but it didn't budge.

"Are we really?" Marinda hadn't rose from her perch on the window seat, and everyone turned to her.

And five collective girly screams rung out through the sitting room.


	5. Murderers & Purple Sleeping Bags

June 25th 2022

**Chapter 5**

_Murderers, Purple Sleeping Bags, and Resolutions_

**June 25****th**** 2022**

Number 3 Sutter Street

**11:20 P.M.**

Marinda jumped and whipped around at the screams.

The window behind her was dark. The only thing visible was a large willow tree in the distance, swaying along with the wind. She clutched a hand over her chest and turned to glare at the five girls behind her.

"What in the world…"

"There was someone there!" Lola yelled, running up and pressing her face against the glass. One look at the other girls' faces and Marinda knew they weren't lying. For one, Lora wasn't a very good actress (she knew from an experience dealing with a Muggle Studies project fifth year and a performance of Romeo and Juliet) and there was no way she'd be able to fake the look of fear that etched her face.

"I'm going to get my mum," Rose announced. The same fear was in her voice and the girls watched as she pushed quickly out of the room without further thought or the argument that she shouldn't go alone.

"I thought the door was locked," Marinda said, wide eyed.

"We were trying to trick you," Lora said, her voice shaking. She sat on the floor in the middle of the sleeping bags, and brought her knees to her chest. Lily, who'd been unnervingly quiet through the whole thing, slid to the floor next to Lora and wrapped her arms around her.

The girls sat in the dark waiting for Rose to return. When it had seemed like a long time (which, in all actuality could've been mere minutes, but without a clock they'd never know how much time actually had passed) Lily broke the silence.

"Maybe we should go look for her."

Kendal snorted from her post leaning against the sofa. "She's just trying to scare us, guys. Seriously. She's probably gone to sleep in her room."

"Why would she do that?" Marinda's eyes narrowed at Kendal in defence of her best friend. "This is her party and it's not even midnight yet."

"Well we have to do something," Lola stood, but in the dark room it was just a shadow. "We can't just sit here until morning."

"We need to find the candles. I'm getting sick of not being able to see anything," Lora agreed.

"We can't just go wandering around a dark house. We don't know where anything is, and what if we can't find our way back?" The room was quiet at Kendal's point.

"I—I know where Aunt Hermione keeps the candles," Lily's small voice pierced the silence. Then the silence was back as the teens contemplated the idea.

"Well, you can't go alone…" one of the twins stressed. In the dark it was just too hard to tell them apart, they sounded so much alike. The other twin and Kendal murmured agreements and Marinda just sighed loudly, her thoughts preoccupied.

"I'm not going anywhere," she announced, lying back across the sleeping bags. She was definitely not in the mood to go on a wild goose chase for candles so they could … what? See each other's bored faces? No thank you, she'd rather be left alone with her thoughts.

In the end, it was decided Kendal would go with Lily and then, once the candles were retrieved, they would get Kendal's wand from Rose's room and meet the rest of the girls back in the sitting room.

"Good luck," the twins whispered in unison and then the door slid open and shut and three teens were left in silence once again.

Rose slid the door shut, not even wincing at the loud noise when it banged against the door frame. Her heart was racing, the sound loud in her ears--_ba bum, ba bum, ba bum_. She could feel it against her ribcage and took a deep, steadying breath.

There was someone in the window. That she was sure of. She knew what she saw. A man's face, strong jaw, high-ish cheekbones…the house had been dark, but there was a street lamp on at the end of the driveway, and the dull light cast shadows over the man's face, hiding his eyes and hair.

He was probably wearing a cap anyway. Isn't that what burglars wore? Black ski masks and black clothes…with pockets to hide their weapons.

Rose went faint with the thought and moved faster down the hallway. She banged her knee—-_hard_—-against the table in hallway—-the one with the glass vase filled with poppies and begonias from her mum's flower garden, which she momentarily forgot about as she nursed her knee. There would be a bruise there in the morning unless she got her uncle's bruise-preventing balm on it as soon as possible.

The forgotten vase teetered for a moment before righting itself in the centre of the table, and her head shot up. Had that been—it had! She heard it again, a scratching sound. Then footsteps. They sounded like they were coming from the hall in front of her.

She moved forward, her heart beat increasing ten-fold. She felt like she would have a heart attack as she stepped through the entry to the hallway.

She turned down the direction of the bedrooms—the other way would have taken her into the kitchen—and was about to start down the hall to her parent's bedroom where she knew her mother would be, when a hand was slapped over her mouth and an arm slithered around her waist.

She screamed into the offending hand, and lifted her foot to kick her attacker, but she was lifted off her feet and slammed into the body of the person holding her.

Her back hit hard muscle, and she groaned, loving the feeling of it pressed against her back. Then she caught herself, remembering the situation, and began struggling to get out of the grasp of her offender.

Rose heard a chuckle, felt it resonate through the attacker**'**s body, and stopped struggling. There was something oddly familiar about the sound, and she concentrated on it.

A pair of lips moved down to her ear and whispered, "You really should start locking your door, princess," before a wet kiss was placed against her neck. She smiled, the voice and nickname familiar, and allowed herself to be dragged down the hall to the first door on the left—her bedroom.

Lily slid out of the room, waiting for Kendal to shut the door behind her, before moving out into the hall. "Uh, uh," Kendal clucked her tongue and then grasped a handful of Lily's tee shirt. "You lead."

They moved at a snail**'**s pace through the dark house, taking care to stop and listen every few feet. They were listening for the sound of Rose's screams, or a burglar, anything that could jump out at them.

"Did I do something wrong?" said Lily as they made their way into the kitchen. There was smidge of light in the room and they were able to get around the kitchen table without too much of a problem or bodily injury.

"Excuse me?" Kendal said as she slumped into a chair and allowed Lily to dig through whatever drawer she needed to find the candles.

"You've been rather, um, mean to me. Like all night. Actually, you've never been nice to me…"

Kendal didn't answer and Lily crossed the room. She moved a little too quickly and, because of the lack of light, tripped over a wayward chair and landed unceremoniously in a heap on the floor.

"Are you okay?" Kendal jumped up and rushed to the younger girl, kneeling down to Lily. Lily sat up, grasping her wrist.

"No. It hurts!" she groaned and held up her limp wrist. Kendal took it gingerly in her fingers. She put a bit of pressure on the bones, ignoring Lily's sharp intake of breath.

"It's not broken," Kendal said firmly. She stood and crossed to the freezer, grabbed out a bunch of ice cubes and pulled a dish towel from the drawer handle next to Lily's head. Kendal shoved the ice into the towel and then pressed it to Lily's wrist.

"Thanks." Lily bit her lip, wincing in pain, and brought her tear-filled brown eyes to Kendal.

"My fifth year," Kendal started, and then looked away. She flushed with embarrassment, but Lily didn't notice because of the lack of light.

"Excuse me?"

"My fifth year. Your second. That's when I started disliking you."

"Oh," Lily looked down at her swelling wrist and then back to Kendal. "What did I do?"

"You beat me out for Chaser." Lily's eyes widened and Kendal continued. "I'd been on the reserve team for years. Since my second year. And then Blake Wood finished Hogwarts and I knew it was my shot. It was my turn. Spending three years on the bench… I'd earned it.

"Then you come into tryouts all confident and you rocked it. And I hated that a twelve year old was more talented than me."

"But then Johnny White tore his ACL and was out for the season, I became Seeker and you got Chaser…" Lily pointed out and Kendal nodded feverishly.

"But still… my pride was hurt… so, I was mean to you."

"Oh," Lily looked down at her wrist. The swelling was going down and the pain was leaving. She took the ice off and rotated her wrist in circles.

"But, hey," Kendal punched her shoulder lightly. "You're not so bad, Red." Lily cringed at the use of the nickname she'd despised since she started Hogwarts. "I mean, hey," Kendal continued, ignoring Lily's pained expression. "If you would willingly eat calf's liver, you're okay in my book."

The girls laughed together for a moment. Then, the energy changed in the room; a crackle of electric charge in the air, and then they each had a wand pressed into their backs.

"So touching, don't you think?" One male voice said. The sound was right behind their heads. Lily's eyes narrowed and then she groaned.

"James Sirius Potter!"

"How'd you know?" The girls turned and saw James and Hugo behind them, wands trained on them. Albus was leaning against the counter behind them all. He looked a bit green, but it could've been a mistake in the dimly lit kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Kendal hissed, standing and rounding on the boys. "Were you the one in the window? Were you, you little brat?"

She backed James up to the counter, his wand still pointed at her. He was a head taller than her, but he shrank back in fear.

"No, ma'am," he spluttered and then shook his head. He felt like a wuss, but Kendal was downright scary when she was mad.

"What are you talking about?" Albus pushed away from the counter. "There was someone in the window?"

"Yeah. And then Rose disappeared." Albus' face took on a knowing look and then he turned and nodded to Hugo, who allowed Lily to climb to her feet. Hugo slid his wand back into his back pocket, knowing he wouldn't need it again. He couldn't even use it, legally.

"Rose disappeared?" James' eyebrows shot up and then his gaze turned to Albus.

"So she'll be a little preoccupied," Hugo shrugged, shooting a knowing glance at Albus. "One less girl we have to get out of the way."

"Get out of the way?!" Kendal shouted. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"We've got a plan—"

"Does this plan involve Al and Marinda?" Lily cut her brother off, smiling widely at Albus, who was looking a bit greener and had begun wiping his hands on his tan shorts. Lily then noted his green polo shirt—the exact shade of his eyes—and the fact that he had brushed out his unruly hair. And had he… yes, he shaved too. There wasn't much there to begin with, but the stubble on his upper lip was gone. G-o-n-e, gone.

"It does, doesn't it!" Kendal agreed, her blue eyes alight.

"Sure, yeah, whatever." Hugo muttered. "We just need you to do us one small favour."

"Look!"

Marinda's head snapped up at the command, tendrils of brown curls falling into her face at the sharp action. It wouldn't have mattered if she even looked up, though, because in the dim light she couldn't see anything.

One of the twins was holding something up, but she couldn't make it out. Instead of moving from her position—sitting cross-legged in the middle of the laid out sleeping bags, her elbows resting on her knees—Marinda waved her over.

Whichever twin it was must've been getting their dosage of Vitamin C, because they saw her gesture. Instead of bringing it to her, she blurted out, "I found a candle."

"Well, light it up," the other twin snapped. There was a pregnant pause, and then a long sigh.

"No means to light the candle, eh?" Marinda said distractedly. For she was having thoughts of a certain green-eyed, strong built, best friend of hers. She sighed, pulling at the zipper of the sleeping bag, her head slumping back into her upturned palm.

"They should be back by now," Marinda recognized the panicked voice as Lola's. It was the same voice she had every time Lora got hurt in a Quidditch match.

"They were only gone five minutes," Marinda said, exasperated. The twins were really beginning to get on her nerves.

"What about Rose?" Lora retorted and Marinda couldn't think of anything to say to that. What had happened to Rose?

"What if there's a killer out there and he's picking us off one by one and he's waiting for someone to leave again so he can murder us…"

"That's ridiculous, Lo," Lora muttered, shaking her head at her twin, her blonde hair swishing down her back.

"Could happen. Kendal and Rose and Lily could be lying somewhere, dead, right now and we're not doing anything to help them!"

"If they're dead, there's nothing we'd be able to do," Marinda retorted, dryly.

As if on cue, the door slid open and Kendal rushed in with two candles in her hands. "Oh my goodness, I need your help." She looked panicked and Marinda perked up a bit. Lola wrung her hands and Lora looked startled.

"It's Rose and Lily. They're _dead_, aren't they?"

Kendal shot Lola a funny look and shook her head. "No. We couldn't find Rose, but Lily tripped and hurt her ankle. She can't walk and there's no answer at Mrs. Weasley's door. I think the door has been Imperturbed." The last part wasn't a lie**;** James had told her and Lily that he had used an Imperturbable spell on Mrs. Weasley's door right before they cut the electricity. "Anyway, I need your help carrying her back in here. I can't do it and hold these candles."

"Oh, poor Lily!" Lora muttered and grabbed her sister's arm, heading for the door. She turned back when she realized Marinda hadn't risen.

Marinda gave a preoccupied sigh and shrugged. "You don't need me, right? One to help, one to hold the candles."

"What if the killer comes!" Lola hissed. Marinda gave Lola a pointed look. "At least take a candle."

"You guys'll be right back, right?"

When they'd gone and the door was closed once more, Marinda lay back on the purple squishy sleeping bag she'd laid out as her own. She closed her eyes and thought of the piercing green eyes she loved so much. She remembered the feel of strong muscle, the sight of stubble on his upper lip, the way he scuttled out of the room at the mere mention of her being half naked.

At some point she must've fallen asleep, because she jerked awake suddenly, the feeling of being watched tickling her skin. And there, hovering above her, where those beautiful green eyes.

--

"Scor," Rose groaned, watching as the white tank top was jerked over her head. He pushed her back on the bed and covered her body with his.

"Shh…"

"Scor," she tried again. He attached his lips to her neck and showed no sign of letting up. Her eyes fell closed and a sigh escaped her lips. Rose's heart began to race in anticipation. Her hands slid underneath his tee shirt, feeling the heat of his bare flesh on her fingertips.

He pulled his mouth away and attacked her lips, and then tongues were stroking, hands groping, clothes flying, and then he was moving above her and it was so good, unlike anything she'd ever felt before. She clutched his body close to hers and could feel his heart beat against her chest like it was her own.

It only lasted a few minutes, but those moments were pure bliss for her, and then his whole weight rested on her. He was panting against her ear, a thin sheen of sweat covered both of them, and then he pressed his lips to her ear and whispered, "I love you."

Rose smiled into his neck, pressed a kiss against his shoulder, and whispered the same to him.

"Thanks for the bracelet and earrings," she told him ten minutes later, when they lay side by side on her purple sheets in her purple room.

"Did you like them?" He propped himself on his elbow and gazed down lovingly at her through hooded blue-grey eyes. "I paid for them myself."

"How?" Her eyebrows shot up. He shrugged.

"Got tired of asking father for money so my mum started paying me to clean the manor."

Rose snorted. "A Malfoy doing the work of a house elf? What does your father have to say about that?"

It was Scorpius' turn to snort now, "He doesn't know, thank you very much. Are you kidding? He'd probably disown me. No, mother and I keep it under wraps and no one gets hurt, eh?"

A surge of love for the boy in front of her shot through her and she just had to kiss him. So she did. And he kissed her back with so much passion her toes curled.

"Happy birthday, love." He kissed her nose, her chin, then her throat. She bit back a moan of approval and nodded in agreement.

"Happy birthday to me!"

--

"Malfoy?" Kendal snapped, stomping into Hugo's attic bedroom. "Scorpius—_fucking_—Malfoy?"

"Calm down, it's not that big of a deal," James muttered, bringing up the rear of the group of five. He closed the door behind him and brought out his wand. He shot a look at the twins to make sure they were paying attention before clearing his throat, pointing his wand at the door, and muttering a silencing spell. He smiled smugly and then turned back to the twins, namely Lora, who was looking instead at the small aquarium set up on a small wooden desk. His face fell.

"Not that big a deal!" Kendal snapped again and then looked around, wild eyed, at the faces of the other inhabitants of the small room. "Did everyone know but me?"

"No, we didn't know. At least I didn't," Lora muttered, her eyes never leaving the murky water of the aquarium tank.

"I think Albus is the only one. He's friends with them both," James said, and then rolled his eyes. "Well, he can't keep his mouth shut around Marinda, so she probably knew as well."

"Speaking of," Hugo snapped, holding up a long piece of flesh coloured string.

"Thank goodness your room and the sitting room are connected by the air vent…" Lora said, finally tearing her eyes away from the glass tank. Then she turned her head back. "Is this…orange pond scum?" She went to scoop a bit of the orange slimy sludge off the top of the water.

Hugo saw what she was doing and, curly brown hair bouncing, bounded across the bed and pushed her hand away roughly. "Don't touch that!" he said a second later when Lora was clutching her hand to her chest. "That's an experiment and if your filthy hands contaminate it, months and months of preparation will be ruined!"

"Hey!" she muttered, indignantly.

"She doesn't have filthy hands," James defended her, shooting a—longing?—glance her way.

"You stay out of this," Lola snapped in defence of her sister.

"Hey, I'm defending her!"

"She doesn't need you defending her. And if anyone has filthy hands, it's you!"

"It was a mistake!" James cried, throwing his hands up in the air. The twins stared at him, arms crossed over their chests, similar hard, loathing expressions on their faces. Lora's was just a bit softer, though, and her eyes held an air of sadness.

"You kissed me!" Lola cried, throwing her hands up. "While you were dating her! You pulled me into a broom cupboard and kissed me senseless!"

"I thought you were her! You both look so bloody similar! And you were wearing clothes, not uniforms, and it was a spur-of-the-moment thing and she was supposed to be meeting me for lunch anyway!"

"So now it's my fault?" Lora glared at her ex-boyfriend.

"No!" He held his hands up defensively. "No, I took full responsibility. Still do. But you're twins. I think you both overreacted."

"Overreacted!" Lola shook her head and laughed. "You kissed your girlfriend**'**s sister!"

"Well you kissed your sister's boyfriend," Hugo pointed out, dangling the piece of flesh coloured string in front of them again. "Now, can we please get back to the task at hand? Everything could be over by now!"

Lola, eyes wide, nodded and then looked at her twin, who bit her lip and looked away. She shook her head slightly, and joined Kendal and Hugo by the air vent on the floor where Hugo was shoving the Ultra Extendable Ear through the slats and downward towards the sitting room.

Behind them, James took Lora's hand and tilted her chin up to look him in the eyes. There were tears in her blue eyes and he pulled her to his chest. "I'm sorry, Lora. It was an honest mistake."

She nodded into his chest and then looked up, stood on her tip toes, and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "I know. I forgive you."

"Great," Kendal said from the floor. "Now that that yuck fest is over, Marinda and Albus are talking and we'd like to hear their conversation."

--

Albus left his brother, cousin, and the group of girls to their own devices and left the kitchen quickly. Lola was shooting a death glare in James' general direction and Albus didn't want to be stuck in the cross fire.

He snuck quietly to the sitting room, holding a lit plain white candle out in front of him. He took a deep breath outside the wide sliding door leading into the sitting room and then slid the white wooden door open.__

He fully expected a loud, girly scream, or a pillow to be thrust into his face, but instead he was met with darkness. He squinted, his eyes adjusting to the complete darkness of the room, and, holding the candle out in front of him, saw the outline of a lump laying in the middle of the floor.

Albus tiptoed into the room, sliding the door closed behind him, taking care to shut it softly. He moved closer to the lump. He smiled slightly at the sight of Marinda, flat on her back on top of a purple sleeping bag, mouth parted slightly and snoring softly. Her hair was splayed out on the pillow cushioning her head, and it looked so soft he sort of wanted to touch it.

He kneeled on the floor next to her and leaned over her, fully intent on shaking her awake, but stopped himself. He looked down at her face, content and peaceful in sleep. She looked so angelic, he hated to wake her.

Albus briefly thought about just blowing out the candle and lying down next to her. He'd get hexed in the morning, by multiple people he was sure, but at least he'd get to spend one night next to her.

Then he shook his head and looked away, the sight of her so relaxed and beautiful causing his heart to ache. He couldn't do that. It wouldn't mean as much without her consent…or knowing how she felt.

He looked back, fully intent on getting one last look at her before leaving, when her brown eyes snapped open. She was looking right at him, and there he was, leaning over her. Practically on top of her. Leering.

"Al?" She muttered, reaching up and rubbing her eyes, sleepily. "What are you doing here?"

He spluttered for a moment. His brain, smart as he was, wasn't working. He couldn't think up a good excuse. Instead, he sat back on his haunches and prepared to get up and flee.

Marinda caught his wrist, sitting up in the process, and he felt how cold her fingers were. His gaze snapped from where she was touching him to her eyes, and he found her staring at their joined body parts as well.

"It was you, huh?" Her voice was soft and teasing, a glimpse of the old Marinda. From before their embarrassing make-out-and-flee experience; when they were best friends.

"Well, uh…" he stuttered again, looking away. Yes, he thought. I helped scared the wits out of you girls, I got the others out of your hair so I could be alone with you… But his vocal chords wouldn't work.

"Thank you," she mumbled, dropping his wrist. Her eyes cast downward. He turned his head back towards hers and—impulsively—caught her chin with his hand and forced her to look at him. The surprised look on her face spurred his vocal chords into movement.

"For what?"

"For…" She stopped and smiled sheepishly at him. "For coming back for me."

"Oh, uh…"

"Because I wanted to apologize to you…for just…you know….running away." A pregnant pause hung in the air, and she took a deep breath. "I just got flustered with all those people around. I'm not one for too much PDA, you know?"

"Vividly," he muttered, trying to push the image of her kissing her ex-boyfriend, Drake Lang, in the common room out of his mind.

"So," she looked away and bit her lip, before returning her gaze to his eyes. His lovely, green eyes. "Are we good?"

Albus swallowed the lump in his throat, his heart wrenched, but he nodded. "We're good."

"Great!" She smiled widely. "I'm so tired! Where do you think the other girls are?"

"Oh," he masked the sadness he felt with a small smile. "I'm sure they'll be around. I should probably find James and Hugo and head home before my dad finds out we left…"

"Oh," he could've sworn her face fell, but in the flickering candle light he couldn't tell for sure, "you're leaving?"

"Unless you don't want me to," he answered a little too quickly, and he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Well, Lola was going on and on about murders and such and I…I kind of don't want to be…alone."

He smiled slightly, and inside he cheered. He quickly blew out the candle and slid out of his shoes while she scooted into her sleeping bag.

He lay down next to her, preparing to fall asleep, but then she was moving next to him. There were zippers sliding and muffled curses as she moved about in the dark, and then two sleeping bags were zipped together to form a bigger sleeping bag.

She climbed into the sleeping bag and looked at him, wide eyed. She couldn't really see him in the dark, but his dark outline moved and then he was scooting in next to her.

Albus pressed himself against one side, refusing to let his hormones control him, which would, inadvertently, make her hate him. No. He decided to let her make the first move.

They lay on their backs, not even touching, eyes closed, and preparing to sleep. He was nearly there, too, but he felt her move. She scooted closer to him. Closer and closer, centimetre by centimetre, until she was pressed against his side.

Her head lay against his chest, her hand finding its way there as well, and she sighed softly. Albus inwardly cheered in triumph. Then, he moved his arm ever so slightly until it was around her back and holding her to him. He felt her smile against his chest, which made his heart soar.

They both fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, fully content.


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue

Epilogue

**June 26****th**** 2022**

The Burrow

**10:47 A.M.**

Albus kicked a pebble on the dirt path and hoisted the pile of towels higher onto his shoulder on the way to the lake outside of his grandparent's house: the Burrow. James was on his left, a stupid shit-eating grin on his face. He looked like he just found out he had primo box seats to the Quidditch World Cup.

"What's with you?" Albus finally asked after James started whistling, merrily. Hugo snorted from Albus' left side and he turned his gaze towards his cousin.

"He and Lora made up last night," Hugo muttered, shielding his eyes. The boy had only been out in the sun for five, maybe ten minutes and the freckles covering his face, arms, and bare chest were already starting to stand out more.

"We are officially back together!" James said happily, putting a little skip in his step.

Albus smiled, faintly, for his brother. He was happy for him, he was. But that just left even more questions about where he and Marinda were.

James had woken him up early. Like, five in the morning early. Barely-got-to-sleep early. Albus'd had to carefully extract himself from Marinda's sleeping form so he wouldn't wake her. Then they'd met Scorpius tiptoeing down the hall, trainers in hand and shirt unbuttoned.

James dragged him out of the house and the two blocks to the Potter house by the scruff of his neck, pushing him on to the porch swing and demanding that he explain himself.

"I love her," was Scorpius' retort. It must've been the sincere sound of his voice (or James was in a good mood) because all James did was nod and slump onto the swing beside him.

Eventually they found their way inside and collapsed onto various pieces of furniture around the sitting room. They were awoken at eight by Ron and Harry clomping down the stairs cheerfully.

"Must've already done the Sobering charm, eh, dad?" James grinned. Then he yawned loudly.

"You know full well there's no such thing as a Sobering charm," Harry stressed to his son, folding his arms. Ron smirked.

"Yeah. It's a potion." Then, his eyes scanned the room for his son and landed on Scorpius' sitting form instead. "What the hell is a Malfoy doing in your house, Harry?"

Harry looked bewildered and shot a glance at James and then Albus. "I'm not sure, Ron. But perhaps he'd like some breakfast before you start cursing his parentage."

Ron gaped and Albus smiled. His hero…

"Actually, Mr. Weasley, I'd like a word with you, if I may," Scorpius stood and straightened his wrinkled-from-sleep shirt. Ron gave Harry a look but nodded at the blonde boy and followed him out of the room and onto the porch.

"Rose?" Harry guessed once Ron was out of ear shot.

"How'd you know?" Hugo wondered, wide eyed. He had a new appreciation for his uncle after the 'parentage' comment.

"I know everything, Hugo. How're Lora and Marinda, boys?" He turned his piercing green gaze to his sons, whose brows furrowed in identical expressions of wonder. Harry just chuckled and left for the kitchen in search of food.

--

"I just wanted you to know…sir," Scorpius added quickly, keeping his blue-grey eyes trained on the blue of the Auror in front of him. He could see the outline of Ron's wand in the pocket of his jeans, and as long as it stayed there, he would be okay. "Rose and I…we're close. Very close…"

"How close?" Ron eyed the young boy curiously and Scorpius gulped.

"Well…we're—err—we're dating**,** sir. For a while now," he paused and ran a nervous hand through his unusually messy blonde hair. "And I love her," he finished and sucked in a breath.

Ron looked at the Slytherin through contemplative eyes. Though Scorpius looked much like Draco Malfoy, if everything his nephew and children had said was true about the boy, he didn't share much more in common with the older Slytherin.

"I see," Ron said finally, folding his arms over his chest. "And does she feel the same way?"

Scorpius nodded, fervently. "She does, sir. At least that's what she told me?"

Ron smirked. "Are you calling my daughter a liar?" He asked a bit more forcefully than needed. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the horrified expression that crossed the kid's face.

"N-no sir! Rose is…Rose is the best thing that's ever happened to me, sir. And I love her, a lot. And if she reciprocated even a fraction of the feelings I have for her…well, I'd count myself extremely lucky…sir."

Ron hadn't expected the boy to be so open. He smiled, knowing he'd instilled some fear in the kid, and then nodded. "Okay."

"O-okay?" Scorpius questioned, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah. Okay." He turned to go back into the house, opened the door, paused, and looked back at the blonde. Scorpius still stood there, wide-eyed, a surprised expression on his face. "But, remember, Malfoy…I'm watching you. Hurt my baby girl and I hurt you, got it?"

Ron didn't wait for an answer, just went inside, the door shutting behind him on its own. Then, when he was sure he wouldn't be overheard, he laughed.

--

The boys trudged closer and closer to the lake, Scorpius recounting his conversation with Ron. Albus, however, wasn't paying very close attention. He was thinking of Marinda, of course. And what she'd say now that she was falling over in exhaustion. He wondered if she was gossiping to the other girls about him while they changed into their swim suits.

That led to thoughts of Marinda in a swim suit and he had to stop thinking about it. The four boys laid out the towels underneath the trees and immediately jumped into the lake. Well, Albus kind of sulked into the lake.

They were swimming and splashing and messing around—generally being boys—for nearly half an hour before they got out and sat around on their towels.

"Man, how long does it take to put on a bathing suit?" James groaned, throwing his hand over his eyes.

"Trust me," Scorpius grinned at the elder boy. "You'll appreciate the time taken."

"Ugh, if that has anything to do with my sister, I don't want to know," Hugo mumbled and they all laughed.

--

"Why are you wasting make up?" Kendal asked, watching Lola and Lora applying mascara in the mirror of Rose's vanity. "It's just going to wash off in the lake."

"It's water proof," Lora shrugged, making the layer thicker on her lashes. The bathroom door opened and Rose walked out, fidgeting nervously with the tie**s** on the bottom of her two piece.

"Okay," she spoke softly, walking over to the mirror. "Do you like this one, or the black better?"

Marinda sat up from her reclined position on the bed. She'd been ready to go for twenty minutes, her hair in a side-plait, a pair of large-framed sunglass perched on top of her head. "I like the one you have on," she answered, picking at a loose string on the bedspread she was sitting on. "The red goes good with your red hair. Never thought it was possible, did you?" the other girls murmured their agreement with barely a glance her direction.

Rose made a non-committal noise in the back of her throat and turned sideways, trying to look at the suit from all sides. "Okay," she finally agreed, pulling denim shorts up her hips and sliding her feet into black flip flops.

She looked around the room and appraised her friend's bikini-attire. Lola and Lora were both tall and blonde and could pull off any look they really wanted to. She hated blondes for that very reason. Lora's bikini was black with white polka dots and Lola's was white with black polka dots. They always said they hated dressing the same, yet they did it anyway…

Lily, who had escaped into the bathroom after Rose left, exited the bathroom in a plain black bikini and a white skirt. She tugged a black tank top over her head and announced, loudly, that she was ready to go.

Lora stepped awayfrom the mirror and agreed, and they all headed out into the kitchen. Hermione and Ginny were sitting at the table drinking tea and talking. "Your Grandmum was expecting you girls twenty minutes ago. She said the boys are already there and that lunch is at one."

"Great," Rose leaned down and kissed her mother's cheek. "See you later, mum."

"We'll be over for lunch. Have fun girls."

Rose told her friends where to go and Floo**'**d away first. She stepped out of the fireplace in a cramped kitchen. A wonderful smell filled her nostrils and she migrated towards the bubbling pot as Lola stepped out behind her, dropping her bag in the corner by the door. Lora came next and followed suit with her own luggage.

"That's for supper," Grandmum explained, coming into the kitchen to investigate the noise. "It's about time you've gotten here! Your Granddad about had a heart attack when the boys showed up with Lucius Malfoy's grandson—"

"He's my boyfriend, Grandmum," Rose confessed before her grandmother said something that Rose would have scowled over.

"Oh!" Grandmum looked taken aback for a moment, before she nodded. "Well, good for you, dear. Maybe one of that lot will turn out alright." Rose beamed at her grandmother, who smiled back, lovingly. "Now off with you lot! The boys are down by the lake. I will call you for lunch!"

The girls started moving out of the kitchen, and Rose turned to her grandmother. "Thanks, Grandmum, for being cool about it."

"Happy birthday, dear."

"Finally!" James cried when he saw figures coming out of the house.

"Oh no," Albus groaned when he noticed the brunette out of the bunch. He put his head in his hands and took a few deep breaths.

"Calm down, little bro. You two looked quite cosy this morning, if I do say so myself. Just remember," James waggled his finger towards his younger brother, "treat her with respect. When she says 'No' she means 'No' not 'Try Harder'." Then he turned his brown-eyed gaze to Scorpius, who was watching the girls—or one particular girl—with hooded eyes. "That goes for you, too," James poked the blonde in the chest.

"Yeah, okay," Scorpius waved him off as the girls got there and immediately wrapped his arms around Rose's waist, lifting her off the ground and pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Hey there, cutie," James said, his gaze locked on the twin in the white bikini. Lola's eyes widened in outrage and Lora slapped James' shoulder. Hard. "Ow! I was just kidding!"

"Too soon to joke," Lora said through gritted teeth. James bent over and pressed a kiss to her nose and she giggled.

Albus held his breath and waited for Marinda to make her move. She approached last, all her hair gathered in a plait over her right shoulder, sunglasses perched on her head. His gaze dropped to her suit—hot pink with black stars—and the denim mini that covered the bottoms. He lifted his gaze and found her looking at him, smiling shyly.

_Get a grip!_ He told himself. _This is your best friend!_

Marinda walked right up to him and smiled. Someone must've said something because a moment later the rest of the group were making their way towards the towels, discarding their cover-ups, and heading to the lake.

"Hi," Marinda nearly whispered.

Albus smirked. "Hi," he answered.

They stood there, in awkward limbo, for a few moments before Albus chuckled lightly. "What are we doing? This shouldn't be weird. I mean, we kissed. And we're best friends. That works out all the time. My Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were best friends who started dating…"

Marinda's eyes widened and Albus winced inwardly. Comparing them to a married couple might not have been the best thing. "I mean…" he tried to cover up, and she nodded.

"I know."

"Want to sit?" and a moment later they were sitting underneath the trees on towels, watching their friends play around in the lake.

They sat next to each other, their arms brushing, for an awkward, insanely large amount of time. Finally, they turned to each other at the same time and then laughed.

"Why is this so…weird?" Marinda wondered, and they shared a chuckle.

"I don't know. I mean, I like you and we kissed, so…"

"You like me?"

"Of course!" Albus shouted and then cringed, muttering an apology.

"You _like me_, like me?"

"Um…yeah."

"Well, I like you, too."

"Okay."

"So…do you want to give the kissing thing another try?" He nodded and then leaned forward and closed his eyes. She smiled and then pressed her lips to his.

And they shared their second kiss amongst the trees and cheers from family and friends.

But of course, with their luck, they were interrupted again. From Grandmum Weasley calling the group of teenagers in for lunch.

Albus and Marinda walked back, hand-in-hand, and entered the full kitchen last. His parents were there, along with Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron—who was watching Rose and Scorpius carefully—and, to Albus' surprise, his god-brother Teddy Lupin.

"What are you doing here, Teddy?"

"Well, your dad and uncle have to work this afternoon and he asked me to take Marinda home." He glanced down at the young couple's joined hands and smirked. "Rose is coming. Would you like to join us?"

Marinda and Albus looked at each other, their smiles reflective on each other's faces, and said, in unison:

"Backsies!"

--


End file.
